Point ignored not missed. I said for comparison sake, because it is worth mentioning. No not head to head or apples to apples. Tires help yes and for the record that was supergravity casing vs wtb tough casing. But running back and forth between the ohlins to the ext, the ext handles small trail chatter better, no change to tires or pressure. The push handles small bump very well also, not like the ext can though, and that was riding the bikes back to back on numerous occasions. Both tuned to myself and the bike I was on. Again the ext performed better. If I had the chance to, I would ride the ext back to back with the push on the same bike. But, I wasn’t going to buy a push for my dh bike even if they made one, just because. I already had an ohlins and ext for it. And I wasn’t about to buy an ext for the trail bike that had a push when I was about to sell said bike.
I still have my push, it’s currently back in Colorado getting resized to my new patrol. If ext releases a trunnion, I plan on picking it up, then I’ll give you your head to head.

Until then, my point still stands. Every shock review you read is subjective. They’re from different riders on different bikes on different trails. I had a valid comparison of how well each shock handled the situation they were dealt, and both were designed to be in the situations where they were placed. The ext gets the edge, it handled its situation better.
The push is a fantastic shock. I’m comparing 3 of the highest end dampers available here. I’m far from displeased with any of them. The ext is also the most balanced I’ve had against my 40, which I’ve torn into and retuned to my liking.
And yes I’ve owned X2s float and coil, as well as many others.

160 with gear. 450lb spring for loose blown out conditions and steep/rough where I want a touch softer. 475 for general use, and 500 for jumping/freeride type stuff. All SAR (EXT) springs

How do you regard every shock review you read? We don’t have a set standard for bike to test against, every review is subjective.

Hands down best shock I’ve ever ridden. Been running one on my TR11 most the summer, floated between a 450 and 475 spring. The clicks are easily discernible and the HBC is a super nice feature when switching springs. The small bump sensitivity of this shock is second to none while still providing great support when you need it. The consistent feel and control this shock provides definitely influences you to ride faster and push harder. For comparison sake, I also have an ohlins for the same bike and a push for my trail bike. Both are fantastic shocks but the Arma some how finds another realm of small bump sensitivity while not losing the support needed to push hard.

Same issue on my old Spartan. Resorted to loc tite 609. Be nice to see brands start using c clips to retain bearings

Why 51mm offset?? Also, can we just call it boost 157 or something? I thought the industry wanted to get away from the tongue in cheek super boost name...