I did not read the whole thread. It kind of became an argument. But to answer your question 1/2" @ the ridge MAX.
Sounds like the manufacturers have minimum standards and you have "Mike" or "Maximum" standards. I know looking at pictures of your work over these last few years, that I would have absolutely no misgivings about having you do work on one of my buildings.
Quality pays in the long and the short run. If we can see that; and we can, so can the average consumer. If all other things are equal, the average consumer is going to opt for higher over lower quality and we will get the work. There is more value there, and ultimately that is what we all want.
This thread and the Quality control thread go hand in hand, BUT I would like to keep them seperate if possible because they are two different things. If I understand your post, yours is a visual determination, and there has to be some time lag to see if it performs "perfectly" If your customer was blind, how would they know that the job was "close" to perfect?
I try to be perfect and usually wind up pretty close to that. It should look perfect and must perform perfectly. I determine when it is time to say job well done, check please.