I've found that standard plastic levers won't slide along the bead easily - you have to repeatedly pry instead of sliding the lever. The narrow spoon of a standard plastic tire lever also has a higher risk of pinching the tube unless one is rather careful.
The issue regarding "tight" tires is a valid one. The Quik Stik lip is too fat for these, but these are a relatively small percentage of the tires I usually remove. For those tight tires, I'll carefully start the removal with one or two standard levers, then use the Quik Stik to complete the removal. Really tight tires are threatened with the J. A. Stein steel tire lever, which is probably stout enough for motorcycle tire use.