Right, so I've been reading through this post, finding out a lot of good information on Pac's customs, disagreeing with certain things, learning new things, etc. So I thought I'd just post my thoughts on everything. Trying to wrap my head around Pac's customs is becoming a nightmare, they're all so complicated, each having they're own unique uses. Let's start with the easy stuff.
Side B
Let's throw 2 out the window right away. It's easier to gimp, and has worse momentum after the pellet, making it not too great for recovery. Now 3 is interesting, I've seen the points being brought up about ruining some characters recovery with the suction properties, but do we really need this? We have so many edgeguard tools with Hydrant and Fruit, that it seems a tad unnecessary to sacrifice recovery for this character specific gimmick. However, speaking of recovery, I think the fact that it takes a while to activate is good, it slows down Pac's air fall speed, meaning you can safely use it under the stage without risk of gimp from most characters. I've tested the distance, and it's slightly less recovery that 1. If this is in conjunction with up B 1 or 2, recovering shouldn't be too much of a problem. I feel that sooner or later, all top players will understand how to gimp Pac's sB1, especially characters like Villager or Rosalina. And once that happens, we rely on up B 1, which top players will figure out as well. I read people say sB3 is easy to gimp, but I suppose it depends where you use it, using it in the low bubble should be alright, bar a character like Villager. Unless you're down a stock and your opponent has 2, in which case they can sacrifice a stock to gimp it. So at the moment, I'm saying sB 3>1>2, if sB3 is used with uB 1 or 2. SPEAKING OF WHICH.....
Up B
uB 1 is great for recovery, until people figure out how to take the last bounce. It's presence on stage is the best thing about it of course, stopping momentum for a lot of characters. Now, ask yourself, would there be any matchups where you wouldn't want this trap, or where setting it up would be a waste of time? For me, the answer is Jigglypuff, or any other aerial based character that isn't fussed about a ground trap. Of course it's still good to throw the opponent off, but against someone like Jigglypuff, I feel like uB2 would be more beneficial. It still acts as a great OoS option, plus with Jigg's light weight, it could potentially be a good KO tool. Another problem with uB1 is that at low percentages, characters like Sheik can take the unblockable and still potentially get a fair into combo. Also, if people are taking the last bounce from uB1, uB2 doesn't have this problem. The only problem I see with uB2 is that if our sB recovery is gimped from down low, we're done for. It's a bit silly to rely on, but there is always the possibility that the opponent could **** up the trampoline steal of uB1. For these reasons however, I'm not feeling uB3. Limited recovery means we're kind of relying on sB, which isn't ideal. The fact that it grounds opponents is cool, but you should always be prepared for if they fall into the final trampoline of uB1 and punish. Grounding would be good for landing smash attacks, but I feel that sacrificing recovery for this isn't necessary, we just need to be more aware with the nature of uB1. Plus we have Bell for guaranteed smash attacks. Off stage as well seems a tad unnecessary, it's not often that you'll have the time to use two bounces to set up for the spike before the opponent has come back. In summary, uB 1>2>3.
Down B
The main thing I like about Hydrant is that it creates a wall your opponent has to respect, and play around. It also makes them play differently, allowing you to counter they're attempts to knock the Hydrant away. For this reason, I'm not feeling dB3, so I'm going to ignore it. Now I wasn't really feeling dB2 until I read this forum, and some interesting points have been brought up. Heals, more damage, etc. However, I feel like the fact that you have to respect the fire as well is a tad annoying. Look at how Abadango plays, he'll throw down a Hydrant, run off behind it and charge fruit. With fire, you have to keep blocking the fire, whereas with water, you can let it push you further for more space and quicker fruit charge time. Of course it depends what fruit you're charging for, the two custom Fruits might not require Galaga or above. Water also helps with fruit catching, can gimp some recoveries, set up for surfing, change the trajectory of fruit, and so much more. I think I will need more convincing for dB2, water just seems so versatile. In summary, dB 1>2>3
Fruits (make yourself comfortable)
I'll try not to make this super long, but there's so much to cover. B2 seems like the the more offensive bunch, Cherry and Strawberry are great in that they bring the opponent to you, setting up for Smash attacks and the like. They're also easy to pick up, making the great for pressure. Although they only do 2% and 5% respectively, the followup you get from them more than makes up for it. GREAT. Now, the Orange. Very fast, sure, and it would be good throw out for a surprise, but I can't see much more use for it. It still has the same ending lag, meaning if it's dodged off stage, the pressure you can follow up with it isn't as good as the regular Orange. Also less knockback means throwing out on stage doesn't really accomplish much, normal Orange at least knocks them back enough for you to set up shop. The Apple, I'm not too sure of. It's easy to catch with the water Hydrant, and the knockback isn't too much worse than the normal Apple. Might be good for targeting low recoveries into a nair or something. Aside from those four, I feel like the rest are buttcheeks. Melon has great damage and knockback, sure, but it's arc might make it difficult to land, and it's not easy to catch amidst the neutral game of a match, especially against rushdown. Galaga, Bell and Key are raw ass.
Lazy Fruit (B3) I feel is the ultimate camping bunch. Cherry, Strawberry and Orange are ridiculously easy to catch, and throwing the first two up or down creates this wall that they have to respect. Orange's slow speed might be good for edgeguarding, though the knockback isn't too great, a followup should be easy enough. Apple and Melon have the same benefits and the first two, though a water Hydrant might be needed to catch them and set this up. Galaga seems pretty rad, and if they shield it, it might be a free grab (grabbing? with Pac Man? what an outlandish idea). Bell is super easy to grab, and has the same benefits as Bell 1. The key seems a bit useless, same edgeguarding properties and the orange perhaps.
So I'm still unsure about the three Neutral choices. My biggest gripe with B1 is that, sooner or later, people will understand that, aside from Galaga and Key, they can just shield the fruit and grab them with a fair as it bounces off them. Luckily, B2 and B3 don't bounce off, they disappear as soon as they hit something (Except Galaga 2/3 and Key 3). So when this becomes common knowledge, using anything in B1 outside of Galaga (which can be nair grabbed) and Key might be considered risky, unless it's thrown, rather than from B. So I honestly can't say which is better for the moment, but I will say that, in general, B1/3>2.
Let me know what you guys think, I'd love to just figure out the best sets for this guy, but we're in the unfortunate situation where there isn't a clear choice for best custom. Sorry it's so long as well, I just needed to get my thoughts out here, in the hopes that someone will critique what I've said and stuff and thingz.