I notice that the folks complaining about "Brooks torture" never specify which model of Brooks they're talking about, or say things like "I've heard that...". There's a huge difference between the different models of Brooks saddles so comments on one model are irrelevant to the others. For myself, I have owned several Brooks Pros in the past and felt that they never did break in and were somewhat of a torture device for long days in the saddle. I think this is largely because they were designed for "in the drops" racing, but many vintage bikes (racing, touring, otherwise) came with them as standard so they developed a reputation for uncomfortableness among those who were not racers. The B-17 on the other hand (and especially the Imperial) is a touring saddle, with softer, thinner leather (increasing its comfort but sadly resulting in it wearing out faster) and is worlds apart from the Pro.

I bought into the marketing BS of the foam-over-plastic saddle makers for many years, but could never get comfortable on long or multi-day rides, no matter what "high tech" saddle I bought. Then, I bought a B-17 Imperial a few years ago and was instantly more comfortable, with comfortableness improving over the next few weeks. Nowadays I don't even notice my saddle. I realize that not everyone will have this experience, and some may be more comfortable on a narrower B-17N, but I'm now a happy member of the B-17 "cult" (as is almost every long distance tourist I see on the Pacific Coast Highway).