It's not as simple as they make it out to be, but it's better than some crap I've seen published on the subject.
Many years ago the late Joe Sherman (who only recently passed away) had an article in Car Craft or Hot Rod where he did a 106 / 108 / 110 LSA comparison on a fairly hot (close to 600 HP) SBC 23* build with a solid flat-tappet cam. The 106 made more power & torque everywhere except the last couple of hundred RPM. The 110 never made as much anywhere as the 106; the 108 was the cam that made a little bit more than the 106 only at the very top of the RPM range.
It was valid for that specific build, but the YMMV caveat always comes into play.
You should always cam for the build, but with that said.
I think one of the reasons the old MP .590 does so well for A lot of people Even to this Day, is its 106 LSA, and its 271 @ .050. The 106 LSA helps in the lower torque range, and the 271 @ .050 gives it some upper HP range. A pretty broad range race cam IMO.
Ive even heard some early racers refer the Mp 590 cam torque cam compared to others in the race environment.
