Wondering if there's anyone who prefers Gimp over Photohop for any other reason than that Gimp is free?

I've found GIMP to get the job done when I don't have access to photoshop. I actually started with GIMP (and Inkscape for vectors) before making the jump to photoshop. I found three main issues with GIMP: 1.) GIMP seemed harder to work with. Every time I've worked with it, it is slow and, at times, unresponsive for almost minutes (usually on boot). I've meet others that shared the same experiences when working with GIMP; It's bloated and not well optimized. I'm sure it has made strides in the past few years like any good software does, but I haven't heard from anyone of GIMP really solving this issue.

2.) When I started getting into heavier photoshop use, the plugins and other additions became great tools. Often, these tools simply didn't exist in any variation the GIMP environment. Also, some of the tools aren't in obvious places (I apologize, an example escapes me at the moment). Overall, there were functions and tools missing that become everyday staples vital to my workflow.

3.) This one is admittedly not an issue specifically of GIMP's, but rather the culture: more people use Photoshop. By using photoshop myself, I can share projects easier with others, discuss techniques without "translating" the steps into how to do it in GIMP. Simply, "everyone uses it" sort of applies here (yes, I know... not everyone does, but the sentiment stands).

Could one get really good with GIMP and use it strictly instead of something like photoshop? Sure, theres' plenty that do. Like I mentioned, I did for a while. There's ways to trade projects between GIMP and Photoshop. But it's not easy. for me, it "got the job done", but photoshop "got the job done" and "exceeded expectations". You mentioned "... it does seem like it's got all the basic stuff you'd want" and you're right, it does have all the basic stuff. I would recommend it if you're starting out and don't want to pay to learn. However, I found in a professional setting, there are tools that work better, and in this case, that tool is Photoshop.