[blykins]

Flat tappet cams are perfectly fine as long as you get through the break-in period. After that, no one knows what you have in the engine until they tear it down and look. In a stock rebuild/mild performance application, a flat tappet cam can make great power.

On the flip side, if you want a totally hands-free first start-up, the roller cam is the only way to go. The cost difference between a SBF hydraulic flat tappet cam and a SBF hydraulic roller cam is about $150 (using a lifter spider and late model lifters).

If you end up wiping the lobes off the camshaft on a bad break-in, you'll easily eat that $150 and then some.