To be honest this thread is for the most part useless. It is not a question that the best value (as defined by $$$) is longhaul intl J or F awards. Peoples perceived value to that is another story. Some people would rather have 10 domestic economy flights and not pay a dime out of pocket even though the relative cash value for those 10 flights may only be $2K., whereas one RT F fare for the same amount of points will be upwards of $10K. Nobody is right or wrong, its individual preferences.

As a single male who doesn't have to worry about getting a ticket for an entire family and does one big international trip a year, going in F is the best value proposition for me. If I traveled internationally more often, needed to be more thrifty, or had a family to get from A to B, it would likely be different story. I tend to use 2c per mile as a floor for any redemption I am thinking about, mainly because a lot of programs let you purchase at around that rate from time to time.