What I've realised is, once you get your pedals dialed out (balancing of beater height+angle and footboard angle), most pedals should feel similar (to some degree at least) to another.
What I really like about DWs is that, they put ball-bearings in pretty much EVERY moving part there is, even the hinge at the heel plate (so far, yamaha, IC, elims, sonor etc... don't have). What's greater is that, the beater-rotor assembly is bundled with ball-bearings which are resting on the supporting axle with ball-bearings too!!
And like Sonor's equivalently expensive Giant-Step pedals, the tension adjusting part of the spring assembly is also ball-raced.
So for all this over-engineering of smoothness comes at a price.
I don't get the "least durable" complaints though. I had a DW4002 set and they were built like tanks... weighed the part too.
The "least durable" complaints are usually about the IC heel plate hinges and Axis pedals
here at Derek Roddy forums.
I have a friend who has a second hand DW9002 and never regretted paying every cent. I doubt you would too.