I have the 436HP and am happy with it. I like that I can download the entire US/Canada database into it, connect it to a GPS, and the scanner will constantly switch in local stuff as I'm driving cross-country. Try doing that with a 396...
BTW, the complaints of issues with the 436 are pretty overblown IMO.
Card problems? You can solve them, make the unit more responsive, and increase your recording storage, with an $11 upgrade card from Amazon.
Bad VHF reception? I get reception on 6-7 of the 7 weather channels with my ST-2 antenna mounted in my attic stairwell. And I can pick up Loudoun County VA and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission running a whip antenna inside a vehicle. Both are 30-50 miles from where I live. If that's bad reception, hurt me.
The only real issue with the 436 is the "coming soon" status of the Analyze feature, which would be handy if you are trying to document a new P25 system standing up in your area. But that's something most users don't have the technical proficiency to use, and is irrelevant if there are no P25 systems in your area, or if they have been added to the database already.