I am perplexed as to why the Wilson 1000/5000 are so highly touted.
They are base coiled antennas.
I was looking at the less costly and shorter Hustler Truckers Antenna SCB rated for 1000 watts which is a center loaded coil antenna. Shouldn't it outperform the base loaded Wilsons? What am I missing here?

they are very easy to install . perform very well and usually tune very low . some folks say the big external coil antennas are better , some say the opposite is true . the very best mobile antenna is a 108 inch whip . but the height makes it impossible for some folks to use . so we use antennas with coils to make the overall antenna height shorter and more acceptable for more different users .

the sirio 180 was getting some pretty big compliments over the 1k/5k , but it never really got the attention in the forums that the wilsons do .
Z-180 BIG POWER ANTENNA-Amps, CB Radios, Maco, Antennas, Meters, Coax, Mics

there is no one antenna thats perfect for everyone . this hobby has many choices , if performance is a priority then the antenna and where/how its mounted is crucial .

__________________
Frank Zappa observed, "It's not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity, and make it work for you."

Just a couple of things to keep in mind.
The position of the loading coil, bottom, center, top, does make some difference in performance. That difference isn't a huge one by any means, some difference but not a lot. That assumes that the antenna is properly adjusted to start with.
Almost any antenna for a certain frequency can be shortened by a ridiculous amount and made to 'work'. That doesn't say how well it will work though. You're right, a 'full sized' antenna can be a real P.I.T.A. for using mobile for some people. The 'catch' to shortening an antenna is that it's radiation pattern changes (shorter = less). If the resulting radiation pattern satisfies your needs then good. If not, then it's too short probably, but then there's always the 'unrealistic' expectations that some have.
Power handling, one of the silliest ratings there are. If it will handle whatever power you send to it, it's working. If it won't, then the individual components are probably not 'heavy' enough. Feeding less power to an antenna than it's 'rated' for is always a very good idea. But just because the thing can handle 50 KW doesn't mean it's gonna be better than one that can't. If made correctly, a 14 gage wire antenna will handle anything the average person will EVER be able to feed it, and more than you'd ever believe.
The biggest difference in most loaded antennas are their mechanical aspects. That assumes that the compared antennas are at least 'ball-park' close in electrical size, sort of. If there's a large 'lump' at the top, then the supporting structure has to be stronger than if there isn't. The larger that 'lump', the larger the stuff under that 'lump' has to be, mechanical thingy. The further that 'lump' comes down from the top, the less 'large' the stuff under it has to be. Simple mechanics, right?
Electrical antenna size.
If whatever the electrical size of the antenna is satisfies your needs (range), then that's the size that works for you and is good. If a different electrical size puts more signal where you want it, then use that. Large number of "if's" and "but's" in that, such as height, whats around the antenna, et. So, the same antenna may not do as well as another one in any particular situation. (Same for toothpaste, a matter of required taste (pun intended).)
What it boils down to is that there ain't no such thing as a 'one size fits all' antenna. 'Better' means better for your particular situation / location / requirements.
Already knew all of that, didn't you?
- 'Doc

Like BM said what are you needs, I run a K30 with an RM-60 and a new Cobra 148GTL and get great results. Brought a K40 and was going to use it, but under a side by side test to my amazement the K30 smoked the K40 on my little SUV. I have a friend that uses a W5000 and an ICOM 706M2 and he tried a custom center coil antenna with a cap hat on it and it worked a lot better that the W5000 but the antenna was to ridig and it druw to much attenion from people se he sold it. So you need to right out a list of what your needs are and thats a good starting point...........walterb