There is nothing snobbish at all about the Trident Chameleon. It is one of the most affordable tandem trikes out there, with the bonus of the convertability. It's a super value. It's not like you are getting a Calfee or an ICE tandem (not made anymore) or a Greenspeed GTT. Those all cost $8K on up.
A few other thoughts:
1. How quick is it to convert? Might be more hassle than you'd think depending on how often you do it.
2. You can buy two nice single tadpole trikes for less.
3. You can buy two delta trikes like the Rans Trizard for less and you'd be getting three trikes for the price of two, since they can be hitched together to form a tandem when desired - even on the fly if you stow the stoker trikes front wheel somewhere.
4. You can buy two wheel recumbent tandem, used, for a lot less - often in the low $3K's.
I think you need to prioritize what you want out of this whole deal.