Hiya
I'm one of those "Always wanted to get into LW...but was afraid to do it" types.

I'm a Softimage man, through and through (from Softimage|3D v 3.1 I believe it was, up to the various incarnations of XSI). I *really* like a few things about LW, when I played around with the demos and whatnot...but something has always held me back. Maybe I'll have to take another serious look at v9.5; especially since I know that when you buy LW you get 'all versions' (32-bit for PC & Mac, 64-bit for PC). And I can get the 'companion upgrade' for $600, so that's added incentive.
*must...resist....getting....credit card....out....* ;)