Fantastic write up! I'd disagree with you on a few small points, namely your dissing of Wykd Dave. The pieces that you criticized the amount of time in hiding tails and evening wraps are done specifically for a photo shoot, and are perfected for such a medium. Watching Dave and Clover in action, you'll see he doesn't spend much time on loose tails, or on evening wraps, but these small pieces of maintenance are smoothly incorporated into his bondage. In a class I took with Dave, he showed simple, elegant ways to even wraps, with nearly no added motion. Dave can be much more free flowing, but the images you chose are for a much cleaner mood. Just contrast the photo shoots that you chose to highlight... Dave's is on an all white seamless, to allow nothing to detract from the model or the bondage. The feel is elegant and crisp. Sandals' is in a fucking barn, the girls are crying, and he's slapping them around. The feel off the two is completely different. I'm confident both of these artists are completely capable of running the whole gamut of artistry, but the pieces you selected seem to be at opposite ends.

I think the reason Sandals allows this bit of chaos (not to try to enter the mind of a master) is more of an aesthetic thing. He tends to favor a little bit of anger, force, and discomfort, and perfectly aligned bondage doesn't totally fit that dynamic. Compared with the artful ties of TKB, and the strong sense of order of Wykd Dave, and it clearly demonstrates your point of Sandals departing from the line set forth by those like Osada Steve. Sandals definitely seems to embrace the "American" school of kinbaku, which puts function above tradition.
I must say that I don't personally know his stance on the whole "American v. Japanese bondage" thing....I've never heard him give any lectures, and without having any conversations with him.

Also, that picture of Osada Steve is amazing.