Because of the many miles of shavings and resulting sharpening's that a bowl gouge typically goes through it is probably the shortest lived of any cutting tool. Which means that it is also the most often replaced tool and the one that has ½" of flute left for you to experiment with different grinds etc.
As you say there are quite significant subtle differences in the flute, I personally started with the Robert Sorby range of bowl gouges and find I prefer that tool option, not necessarily because it is better, just because I know how it feels when working properly so can more easily detect and correct when it isn't. My set are 55° somewhere between fingernail and Elsworth for dry fairly "traditional" bowl shapes, and 40/40 for wet fairly deep section bowls with the addition of a 60° traditional'ish grind for getting the last few cuts to the centre. All are Sorby, but I have been playing with a borrowed Crown which I am learning to like as well.
