A lot being said already so there is not much more to ad to this.
I own the Shen and am happy with what i can get out of it. It is fine for a 300mm. One of my favorite lenses is an Apo-Ronar and i can focus to about 25 feet without using front tilt. I use one of Dave Parkers Satin Snow GG and they are very inexpensive so that should not be an issue. The additional weight of the Shen is secondary when all the other stuff is added to the camera bag.
The political issue also surfaced when i bought, did get the Shen but liked the birthplace of the Tachi. Guess i have to buy a 8x10 Tachihara next time.
My best recomendation since you are a couple with the same interest. Buy one of each, go and have fun, come home and sell the one you like the least. You may loose 50$ on the whole deal.
Have fun.

jan