Personally I see the tapered pistons as the current gimmick trend to sell more product. The reason I say this is that the taper has absolutely no affect on how oil passes through the holes. It is viscosity that alters shock performance and reaction times. Also, something to think about are the physics at play. The tapered portion of the piston should move more slowly because the tapering means the surface area has increased. The larger the area, the more resistance. Even still, the difference at these minuscule sizes is so minute only a computerized system can gauge what little difference (if any) there is.

I have an idea for pistons that I am thinking of producing that is significantly different to anything that has ever been produced. I come from the world of paintball and I have quite bit of experience in that industry to draw from that allows me to think outside the box. I believe many RC components can benefit from paintball technology and that's what my inventive brain is always thinking about. Now if I could only get the financial backing to buy my own equipment, then I'd be golden! LOL