Have you tried out Reaper at all? I think the whole concept behind Reaper is just tremendous but I don't think I could ever use it. I've put in quite a few hours with it and I would much rather use Pro Tools, and you know how I feel about Pro Tools. Reaper has some million dollar features that a lot of other DAWS don't have but at the same time, Reaper seems so very immature and underdeveloped in a lot of other ways. It was very difficult for me to use. If I had to put money on it Ermz, I would say that you would not stick with Reaper for very long if you switched. Just get a Pro Tools HD system!
One thing I love about Cubase is that its more of a mouse driven program than the other DAWS. I set up my own hotkeys and they allow me to work lightning fast, but I love being able to right click on everything and have access to what I need. Its going to sound incredibly stupid, but I can mix an entire project with Cubase with my right hand holding a mouse while holding my new infant son with my left hand. Anyone who had kids knows its impossible to find time to get shit done. When I get to use hotkeys when I have both hands available, that's just an added bonus!