You got a lot of wasted headspace in that box from those pics. Hmmmm.
My take on it: If you're switching to a HID light (even with supplimental lighting) you should just let your plants grow straight and true. Less energy wasted recovering from being tied down will equal faster bud times and quicker harvests.
If you're sticking with the CFLs, then keep LSTing and bring your ceiling way, way down. CFLs don't have the canopy penetration needed to grow a plant straight up (unless it's like < 1 foot tall, and even then your lower buds will be popcorn) without the proper knowledge.
Hard to judge someone else's situation. Find what works and get comfortable with it.
With the perpetual SOG thing, I suggest you head over to the ICMag forums and search out posts from a user named DrBudGreengenes (mght be Greenjeans like the pants, but don't think so). That guy is a guru of growing perpetual SOGs in tight spaces under CFLs. He blows some HID growers out of the water with his knowledge (and makes them all butthurt in the process which is fun to watch). I think I've just contridicted my earlier paragraph.
Here's a little tidbit from him that you may have heard out of me: "rootbound is just a state of mind". And it's really true if you understand what he means.
Read, read, and read some more...but more than anything, don't let yourself get snared by "conventional wisdom" and the generally erronious thinking of the masses.
I dunno. For me, LST under CFLs is the way to go...it just feels right to me. I could prolly get better results with other methods, but I like what I'm doing and am happy with my results for the most part. Uhg....it just needs to be legal so I can grow outdoors and not have to contend with all this crap!
*Edit*
LINKS!
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*edit 2*
Looking again at those pics and maybe being able to move the lights is better for you. Seperate moving fixtures and that extra headspace. Maybe a cup of coffee and a full pipe will bring some inspiration. Or maybe I'll totally forget to come back and post more...