Pint-Sized Gnar Shredder
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Somewhere between heaven and hell
Posts: 3,549
Bikes: '09 Jamis Komodo, '09 Mirraco Blend One, '08 Cervelo P2C, '08 Specialized Ruby Elite, '07 Yeti AS-R SL, '07 DMR Drone
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Dual suspension and full suspension are the same. There are different types of suspension designs (single pivot vs DW-Link, for example), but all of those designs (minus softtails, which don't actually have a pivot point) are included under the full suspension umbrella.
25lbs is pretty light for an FS. I think my FS weighs 25 and change, but I paid a decent chunk of money for that.
Hardtails aren't really better than full suspensions. They're more responsive for jumping and pumping, and they're usually lighter, but the pros of having a full suspension outweigh the cons in my opinion. Some people swear up and down that hardtails are better climbers, but climbing ability is more dependent on the geometry of the bike than whether or not there's suspension in back. The biggest advantage hardtails have over full-suspensions is cost. That's the reason you're getting suggestions to go hardtail. Not because hardtails are better, but because your budget isn't really high enough to get a quality full-suspension bike.