Aha... So, I think we might also start another, more exotic group like who is using glycin. 85 % of photographers are using metol in this or another form, so this group will be very large, but glycin is rare.
But I have no intention to hijack your thread. You might want to try borax, simply replace sodium metaborate with it. I am sure you will see the difference.
I go both ways, D-23 for (almost) all my film; phenidone-based paper developer. I feel most strongly about D-23, so I guess I lean towards the metol group