Vert bulbs really shine with tall plants, ie., sativas, that you would have a hard time growing under a horizontal setup, and couldn't even come close to the yield. I am talking trees with stacked verticals, fat colas all up & down the plant. They also perform really well with trellises. You can make better use of the height of your room with vert bulbs. Everyone's circumstance is different, and to each his own, but I won't ever be buying a hood again.
By the way, goggles in the grow room with lights on.
You are right retro! I was even thinking of hanging 400w bulbs in between my air cooled 1000w hoods for supplemental lighting on my Sativas and other stretchy plants. Your right about the height issues with horizontal as well. Often my Sativas tops end up above the air cooled hoods, even raised all the way up.
I really like the idea of a combination of vertical and horizontal, also with a combination of MH and HPS. I saw some brothers from Cali in High Times running this way, things looked great. Think of those big round outdoor plants but inside. Side lighting and top lighting together seems to me the closest I may get to the sun indoors.