Here we have two comments from two different posters, both confirming the same core issue in this question of PA v. Indicators. It is not a question of which is best, rather it is simply whether a trader really understands what the various components are supposed to show and why - and therefore what it is suggesting might be happening right now. All these components, whether they belong to the PA camp or the indicator arsenal, are designed to identify significance in current price movements relative to earlier movements.
There is perhaps a strong human psychological aspect present here. Humans are generally a group species that naturally want to belong to a certain crowd and form a natural loyalty to that particular crowd. In fact, most of us can identify membership of many different groups ranging from our nationality to our favourite sports teams.
In fact, we could compare this PA v. indicators issue with a football match. If we support team A which is playing team B, we will automatically wish the best for all our team A players regardless of their relative individual skill and ability compared with their respective opposing player in Team B! Even if the team B goalkeeper is much better than our own team A goalkeeper we will still hope that our team A goalkeeper will perform better. It would be very difficult to support individual players from both sides in the same match!
And we tend to do the same with PA v. indicators. For example, PA supporters will dismiss indicators as “lagging” per se, whereas PA components are also a comparative study of current and previous price levels, albeit in a different manner.
Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks of modern platforms is the ease in which one can load indicators, draw lines, auto-identify patterns, etc. It means we can instantaneously load a Stochastics or an Ichimoku indicator and start “trading” it without the slightest idea of how it is calculated, why and what it can show and what can go wrong. This is readily and regularly transparent in various posts on BP, where the only question asked is often “what settings do you use” rather than why do you use it, under what circumstances does its construction perform most reliably, and when does it tend to throw out fake signals, etc.
PA is to me, “better” mainly for the reason that one has to do at least some kind of personal analysis when setting up lines, patterns, etc. And even candle characteristics need a touch of personal recognition and identification. Whereas indicators, especially those thousands of downloadable MT4 custom-made signal generators, require no brain power whatsoever. These, together with the eternal search for EA’s and robots to do our thinking for us, tend to encourage us to leave our brain in the drawer or appeal to our desire to be able to sunbathe on the beach while the system does the rest.
Like any craftsman or professional, you pick your tools individually and with care, and you practice with them and develop your skills in using them until you can achieve your own excellence.