The strikefinder is nice because it is omni-directional, which is a big advantage. I think the ideal setup would be radar, a strikefinder, and XM weather downloads with NEXRAD images. NEXRAD has it’s own set of issues (images can be several minutes old), but it gives you a more complete, 360 degree picture of what’s happening.
I’ve found most U.S. ATC personnel are not really very good at telling you about areas of heavy precip, though they are good at passing on information about turbulence and icing reports made by other pilots.
When I instruct in light aircraft that don’t even have a strikefinder, I’m very conservative in my decision making!
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