I'd say buy one and give it a go. I'm not a huge fan of Henry Taylor carving tools - mainly because I've had issues in the past with their quality control in their heat treating (too soft). If you get a good one, they're very nice. If you get a bad one, you'll be spending a LOT of time trying to keep the edge in shape.
If the Dictum brand is HT though, it might be worthwhile to give them a try. Dictum has a good return policy, so I'd not be too worried about getting a dud.
I usually buy Pfeil personally, mainly because I always know what I'm getting, and I prefer an octagonal handle (less rolling around the bench). Two Cherries are nice to use, and Dystra as well... but when I moved to England and had to rebuy my carving tools, I mainly went with Pfeil and a couple of Stubai. The Stubai ones are quite good, but the bevels are often very wonky on them and they're not always fitted into the handle straight. they also coat their handles in a wax that feels horrible in your hands... but 5 seconds with a card scraper sorts that out. With Stubai, I buy them in person so I can make sure I get one that won't need much work. Pfeil is reliable enough that I don't think twice about ordering online.
Hmm... went off on a bit of a ramble there I think.
To sum up, I think you should give them a try. Buy one and see if you like it - it fits well in your hand, the steel is not too soft (dulling fast), nor too hard (chips, or just a pain to sharpen). I'd choose a V-tool, since they're a bit fussy to get right and you'll get a feel for the steel quite quickly when you're using it. If you don't like sharpening V-tools (you'll need to get over that!), then a midsized no. 2 might be good. Easier to sharpen if the edge chips or dulls too quickly, so you'd still get some good use out of it if you didn't end up returning it for replacement.
I will say my favourite tool is an old Henry Taylor #2. Seem to take forever to dull, and a couple of passes on a strop seems to turn it back into a razor.
Donovan.
