and refuse to debate how to best land the RV-8.
Hmmmm, from my vantage point it seems like you just did......
But I agree, it is not a debate I am going to enter either. Mike Seager and I do have some fun conversations at times, regarding all of the debate that does take place though.
I personally like knowing that I can land a taildragger RV (or trikes even for that matter) about as short as it can be landed. If the day comes that I really have to, I want to know I can. The way to do that is to practice it. Regularly.
Guys that always wheel land may think they can land pretty short (and maybe they can), but I guaranty it is still not nearly as short as a well executed three point (notice I'm not referring to it as a full stall landing, because as already pointed out, an RV isn't at a 3 point pitch attitude when at full stall AOA).
It is basic aerodynamics and physics...
If you are flying at a speed that produces level flight just above the surface of the runway (for a wheel landing touchdown), it will
always be faster than what is required to fly level just above the runway in a 3 point pitch attitude.
After that, it is simple physics. Since the amount of kinetic energy that has to be dissipated is related to the square of the speed, it doesn't take much higher of a speed value to have a major effect of the stopping distance.
Now some may say "by the time you bleed off speed so that you are at a 3 point angle of attack you will have traveled the same distance anyway".
If you use the wrong technique, that is probably close to correct. But it doesn't have to be done that way. Just takes practice....