Does studiopress truly work?

[Crystal]

I wasn't sure where I should post this but as this is a general question asking about studiopress as a product I figure it would fit here. Please feel free to shift if need be.

Firstly, I've been after a standard theme for microsite builds and using wordpress as a CMS but I've come across quite a number of issues in my searches. I first bought and started using the WP Remix theme before it changed ownership and found it to be difficult to use. It required so much reworking of the php files, the code was seriously buggy and the support poor. I ended up spending so much time trying to fix the theme to get it working the way I wanted that it defeated the whole purpose of me using wordpress at all, it would have been simpler had I built a site from scratch.

The reason I am looking at wordpress as a solution is because I want to hand the editing rights back to the people that request these microsites and make it simple for them to update content.

Lessons have been learnt and I really need to find a theme that's going to function properly. What limitations have people found when using the studiopress themes? Are the layouts locked down or can they be easily customizable? Say, for example disabling a sidebar, adding additional text widget boxes, embedding video content in different sizes etc? Are there any issues with plugin compatibility?

It's a shame there's no demo that allows you to try for 30 days. I need to be sure that this is right before making a purchase.

Any tips and advice gratefully received.

thanks

C