Of course I value them but as you yourself say they are just opinions. I take them on board but it is fair to ask for further explanation. There is nothing wrong with thinking for yourself a little and challenging perceived wisdom. I tend to agree, test is preferable. But are you forgetting that deca and dbol is the oldest cycle in the book? I would never touch it but plenty did. Dan Duchaine advocated it as did others and Arnold apparently loved the primo and dbol. You say test is a must and quite possibly you are correct but if you back it up physiologically it would carry more weight.
Many advocate Test in every cycle because it's a hormone the body is already used to. When you begin any cycle of AAS no matter what you are taking, i.e. test, primo, deca, EQ, etc. your bodies own production of test will shut down...this is a given, and it doesn't matter who you are. If test is in the mix then you have an automatic replacement for the lack of your own "natural" test, as well as an amount higher then what you can produce naturally, therefor giving you more of a bang so to speak.
As far as running a cycle without test, you are correct in assuming that some do this, and not just newbies, even some seasoned veterans will run testless cycles. I know of one guy in particular who runs EQ & Tren cycles pretty regularly, and he has been using this combo for some many years...not all his cycles are w/o test but he swears up and down by this cycle. With a cycle like this, one can and should expect a severe loss in libido as well as a possable lethargic feeling, but some are willing to sacrifice and take these sides for their ultimate purpose...usually this is the case in some who are preparing for comp.
My very first cycle, when I was an idiot, was a test free cycle, EQ and winny along with provo...not the worst combo but it is not something I would do again, nor is it something I would recommend...the benefits of running test as far as I'm concerned far outweigh the benefits of leaving it out.
To reiterate, your body is not unfamiliar when test is concerned, it is not something that is hard for the body to handle, contrary to what some might have you believe, assuming of course that your doses are reasonable and that your lifestyle in general is on point.
To end, there will always be those who run and recommend test free cycles, I understand their proposed logic, but in short their so called logic has yet to make sense to me.
