I've also got the 8 gallon Spiedel. I like it. It's light, the handles make it easy to maneuver, cleans easily, and it's got enough headspace on a 5-6 gallon batch that I don't need to worry about a blowoff tube.
I use the spigot. Some people don't because infectious crud can grow in there if you don't clean it thoroughly. Case in point: a couple of batches ago I drew a gravity sample after filling the fermenter, and when I came back to transfer to keg the spigot was black and nasty. I siphoned that batch out. Last weekend I made sure to spritz the spigot with Star San before putting it down to ferment.
One more note: there's almost exactly 1/2 gallon of dead space at the bottom, below the level of the outlet. So if you do use the spigot that's how much you'll lose unless you tip the dregs out.