@firebirdguy , the guy on YT isn’t just some yahoo, he’s a university professor who has spent his career studying this stuff. In any case, I think his point is that “synthetic” doesn’t necessarily mean “better.” The Blackstone Labs crew says the same thing about oil:

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What’s the best oil to use?
Ah, the million dollar question. We are an independent lab, so we don’t make recommendations. It has been our experience that oil is oil, and either petroleum or synthetic-based oil will work well for just about any engine.
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I also take negative opinions of WS with a grain of salt b/c 1) it performs well for years in millions of vehicles, most of whose owners never bother to service the transmissions, including many thousands of 4th Gen owners who run their rigs through the wringer on road and off, and 2) those opinions appear to be largely based on anecdotal evidence.

I don’t recall any claim that WS was synthetic and that doesn’t matter to me anyway.

Agree that people needn’t blindly follow the owners manual and use manufacturer brands only, but they will do well to pay attention to the required type and/or formulation for each system. The 4th Gen power steering using ATF is one example. I had never heard of a vehicle using ATF as PS fluid before getting a 4R and it still strikes me as odd.

I’m not talking down Maxlife, Valvoline is a trustworthy company that makes fine products. Maybe Maxlife really can be the best fluid for a European sports car, a Japanese SUV, a GM crossover, & a bunch of other vehicles too. If so, more power to them.

I’m also not recommending WS, just explaining the reasoning behind my personal choice to use it: I know it works.