I have looked through several posts on mirrors and means of attaching them. I am at the point of making a decision for which I could use some feedback from folks who have experience. First of all, I am amazed at how much one can spend on a mirror if they want to.... geeez.

Option 1: PTM VE-140 with a folding windshield mount: ~$300
Option 2: CIPA Vision 180 on a black anodizeed Samson tower mount: ~$400

Of course the ideal setup would be the PTM on the Samson mount but the $500 price tag is kind of freaking me out right now.

So, will I be better off with the better mirror (PTM) or the tower mount? Is the CIPA mirror significantly inferior to the PTM? Is forward visability better with a tower mounted mirror?