Superiority of the magnifier

["Adam Parker" <park_e_r-at-hiwaay-dot-net> (by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-uswest-dot-net>)]

For those on the list who have fiddled with a Tesla coil until they have
squeezed every last possible inch of spark out of it, and those who have played
around with magnifiers, what is the general theory among list members on the
advantages of a magnifier (if any)?
 
It seems that even after quite e few of us have experimented with a three coil
arrangement, the specicifics on "just why should we build one" still remains
indecisive and sketchy. Some people even argue that the extra coil principle
offers no real advantages over the "classic" system at all.
 
Just to quench my curiosity, I'd like some opinions from list members on what
they think gives the magnifier the upper hand in performance.
 
And of course, here's my own two cents:
 
It seems to me that the main advantage comes from the huge coupling coefficient
between the primary and secondary coils. This means a great deal more of the
power is making it to the spark than is in a regular two coil system. There are
plenty of claims that support the "de-coupled" theory, saying the the absence
of mutual inductance between the extra coil and the rest of the system makes
the difference. It may make a difference. It may make a big difference. I
certainly believe from my experiences that most of the gain comes the the
higher coupling.
 
What does eveybody else think? I sure hope I haven't stepped on anyone's toes.
 
Adam