Which do you prefer and why?

I currently have a hardtail and am thinking of switching to a full suspension bike to increase my descending speed.

It appears that there are two camps on bike suspension. One believes full suspension bikes are too heavy for climbing and have too much pedal induced bounce. The other camp believes the plushness of rear suspension overshadows some bounce when cranking.

I'm on the fence as to whether I should spring for the full suspension bike of just upgrade my hardtail and I'm looking for opinions...

Well, I had that same question about a year ago. I ended up with a full suspension cannondale. My reasoning was based on the riding I do which is a combination of very rough trails and technical slick rock. I choose the full because it was really good in downhill. It is true that you do loose a little when climbing but if you lock out the front fork (highly recommended option)you can do almost as well as normal. The rigid and hardtails may beat you up the hill but you'll have the advantage later! After riding on the weekends for the past year I must say I don't even think about it anymore. My opinion is for full but you should definitely try one out (a friend's maybe) and get a good full suspension not a $200 wal mart special!