Jeffrey Angus wrote in
:

....
I just love wild goose chases, because in the end, you usually do
learn something useful in the process.

Yes, there is always a risk of that.

The auto tuner can be a path to hiding shortcomings in an antenna
system, in search of the holy grail, low VSWR.

Whilst you seem critical of the 4:1 voltage balun in the MFJ, it is my
perception that they are still the most popular balun. My theory on that
is that antenna systems that exhibit extreme impedance can often be
'matched' with that configuration, assisted by the loss in the balun.

It is an example of how the device's operation can be misunderstood.
There is little doubting the considerable anecdotal evidence that 4:1
voltage baluns work 'better', it is understanding what is meant by
'better' that is revealing.

That leads into the question of whether a 4:1 balun is 'better'.

If you were selling product, you would concentrate on the things that
deliver good VSWR, because that is all that is in the minds of most
buyers.

Owen

PS: for avoidance of doubt, nothing above should be interpreted to
recommend a 4:1 voltage balun or a 4:1 balun.