I love my Dahons. They are as nice a bike as any non-folder you might get in the same price range. They have a basic folding design that has been tested by many years in production and thousands and thousands of Dahon riders. They have a tight fold compared to anything else under a grand.

I tried a Downtube based on the oft-repeated "bang for the buck" and didn't get the bang part at all. Test riding like you did is definitely the way to pick the best bike for your needs.