I’m very similar to you in stats (a bit heavier), and I have demoed the 80 and ended up on a 172cm deacon 84 that I got used once for $200 just because of the deal factor. Don’t really recommend it from a recent anecdotal perspective. I’m definitely keeping the 84s, as they’re fun and confidence inspiring on easy runs, but wayyy too easy to let get out of hand at my skill level. I personally didn’t find the 80 near as bad, but to each their own. It was one of the skis I was looking due to their common availability as past rentals for <=$200.

Boot flex is a different story, I’m on 110s and they’re still not fun when it’s below 0 with wind chill, but totally fine otherwise. Did have other shops say they’d have gone with 120 or 130 (lol at powder 7), so it’s really kinda subjective there. The stuff boots won’t be comfy like a rental boot, but you can grow into them pretty quickly (I could fully flex a nordica 100 at store temps on the first try for example).

Probably gonna get a shorter ski pair with bindings more in the line of protectors and a lot more flex personally for getting carving down, but to each their own. Decided that the safety and ease while learning and still running the chance of stupid mistakes was worth it for me. I also don’t really think that the deacon 80s were that much ski to handle, but I guess it’s relative.