It's not so much about the suit, It's about the skill that applies in full to every variant of that suit. The suit is just icing on the cake.

SP investment is a matter of desire. ANYONE can get a suit to proto, just by owning a character for awhile. It is that bonus applied which is important as it makes Dren suits rep like a pro. If you wanted a level playing field (AKA everyone in proto) make it so my cheapest effective Proto Minlogi suit is less than 150k, since isk has, and always will be, the deciding factor in this game (as evident by the initial and continued desire to farm the donut, nobody would do it if there is no benefit. as displayed by the previous donut holders disappearing after their isk faucet got slowed down unless they actually had to fight themselves). If you have it, you are extremely difficult to beat if not impossible (see old donut)....if you don't, then it is only a matter of time before you fall to anyone who does.

People can say what they want, but SP cost is fine, if not kinda on the cheap for the suit (got about 6-7 suits to proto total, 3 logi) because of the carryover bonus to Std/Adv. The real elephant in the room if the isk cost to actually run proto, not the time it takes to let passives eventually build up to a suit. Play this game long enough and you will have a proto fit, only reason someone doesn't is by choice, not anything the game can change to accommodate.

P.S. Don't normally agree with, let alone like, things several people her say.....but this is something that needs repeating. SP cost is fine, it just gets priced out of the normal players hands through isk cost and the ease others have to farm it.