I am interested in getting one but it's impossible to make such a decision without trying one. Are there any NS Stick players in Boston that would let me give their instrument a try?

NOTE I remember asking this same question here 5 years ago (!) but ended up having to pause the pursuit. I am back with a vengeance now!

It's pretty certain there are people here who have made the decision without hands on experience.

I did with Stick, & I'm sure I'm not the only one?

However, I hope you manage to find a willing helper within reach.

Follow-up: having owned a Stick in the 90s I have a pretty good idea of what I'm getting myself into, so decided to work with the company to get a new NS Stick in the queue!

AIUI an 'advantage' of the NS is that its production is in a separate, much shorter, queue.