I wouldn't worry about people attributing their choices to the fact that you started a thread. Chances are, nobody even notices who authored what, let alone what they thought of the product in question. Bottom line? Nobody cares that you started an initially supportive thread. You have made it abundantly clear that your opinion has changed for the worse.
As for the Makasi, time will tell the tale. Personally, I think that the "issues" have been blown far out of proportion in relation to their effect. Handguard Retention Screws leaving thread "witness marks" on the Barrel Nut? Time to reconsider purchasing decisions! A Charging Handle that impinges upon the Handguard until the clearance self-corrects? Cancel all orders!! The rifle requires a break-in period? It must be defective!!! Picatinny Rails out of spec? The Makasi is junk!!!!
Nobody is suggesting at this point that the Makasi is perfect in every regard. It has minor tolerance issues, none of which apparently impact upon the rifle's practical performance. Fit and finish are not perfect, but are far from a "train-wreck" as some have described the rifle. It is what it is - a boutique rifle of unique design whose advantages far outweigh its "issues" in my personal opinion. Faced with no alternative that I can stomach, the Makasi is the best option on the table, period. Continuing to repeatedly harp on about the same handful of issues serves no purpose - the shortcomings of the rifle have been discussed and disected in detail several times over in every available forum. The doubter's work is done - no need to keep flogging a dead horse.
I am sticking with the Makasi, hopeful that Brigade Manufacturing has rectified most of the "issues" with the first Canadian shipment as promised. We shall see. I am not abandoning the Makasi at this point, as I assign little importance to the cosmetic tolerance "issues" that have led to so many cancelling their orders with lemming-like predictability. Even if the issues persist, provided that they do not affect the performance of the Makasi I simply don't care about thread witness marks and sticky Charging Handles that remedy themselves with use. As long as the rifle feeds 5.56mm, fires it reasonably accurately and reliably spits out the empty casings? I don't much care about minor fit and finish issues at this point. I just want a decent-looking rifle that functions reliably, and the alternative isn't going to do it for me. So the Makasi it will have to be, warts and all....