As far as the paint itself, E'Tac puts Wicked to shame, no matter what you're using for reducer. But, I like the Wicked detail lines color palate better than the E'Tac palate. I use both, often on the same project. If I was forced to choose one or the other, well, I'd have a difficult time of it. But, Bill and the rest of the E'Tac team really set a whole new standard for customer service. But, back to Wicked- the "cook" time thing with the reducer applies much more to the W-100 reducer than the W-500. But, it can be pretty well avoided completely by pre-reducing the paint a bit. Once I get a bit of space in a new bottle, I'll put some reducer in (maybe a 10% reduction? I have no clue, but it isn't much). That way, if/when you add more reducer, it's already "soaked in", so once you have it mixed good, you're set to go. Personally, I've found that with Wicked, especially with the W-100 reducer, the more you reduce it, the more finicky the paint gets, and the more problems I run into. But, I'm also a bit of an odd duck in that I don't like my paint too thin, and I prefer higher pigment levels. Com-art is too runny and too diluted straight from the bottle for my taste. E'Tac EFX straight from the bottle is juuuust about right to me.
, but with the Wicked it was a ruddy revelation and it's cost very little to make and you never run out I would definitely give it a whirl it only costs a few quid and it gives you loads 
