I can't answer your question on behalf of all "die hard Warn guys," but I can say that my local Warn dealer reports more warranty issues and returns with VR series winches than Warn's other winch series combined and that particular dealer generally recommends the M8 or M8-S over the comparable VR winch due to those warranty issues and returns.
That is my concern with the VR series, it is an overpriced version of the lower-priced class of Chinese winches. It's tough to stomach dropping a grand on a synthetic winch, and I know I want that M8000-S, and just have to wait for a used one to hit the market.