Tamsach:
I see the meter of R9 "jumping" and I have great troubles in getting the ding, while I've not with the G10. Looking at the sole 5 yards of difference in lenght, I would buy the G10, even less expensive.
Some suggestions?
I did a review of both clubs on my club reviews thread ( http://wgt.com/forums/t/72948.aspx ). I found that, as you said, the G|10 was easier to keep on the fairway. However, in the tests, the R9 averaged 294 yards, a staggering 13.5 yards more than the G|10, which averaged just 280.5 (see the review for more full info and conditions). I struggled with the R9 at first, too, but I'm getting better at it and decided that the steeper learning curve was worth it for the extra yards, even though I didn't know just how big the difference really was until this weekend. At the time I bought it over the G|10 because all the legends said it was better when used properly.
Also, the meter shouldn't jump with any club. If it does, there is an issue with your computer. I find that restarting my browser (Google Chrome) usually fixes it. My meter is then very smooth for a few days, until I have to restart Chrome again.