Is there really any comparison? Stiff slab of metal RTR chassis or nice light weight and flexy TFT chassis. The TFT wins every time. More traction, more steering, lighter weight, better bump handling, etc...
As for skids, I ran them for a long time but have recently stopped running the rear skid. I definitely notice a difference with and without the skid, and truthfully I don't miss the skid. If you're all about prolonging the life of your chassis, the skids will do wonders. If you're out for the best possible handling, you'll just have to replace the chassis every so often like we used to before skids came around. I do still run the Bump-Skid as I don't see any negative effects and it provides more protection for the front of the chassis/pivot blocks.
