I hate to nitpick CRTs but I love LCD's. I use them for everything and don't regret it one bit. Everyone that complains about games is either using a poor quality display, or not using the best screen setting to see it right. The only down side to LCD's that I know of is that they are a fixed pixel size. meaning that they look better at the higher screen setting then at the lower. This has been addressed over the last few years, but it still is true, even on the highend models.
CRT's suffer from way too many issues (reflective light is the worst) to deal with. LCD's are pretty fool proof when you get a good unit. You don't even need to worry about refresh rates. Size is another thing for me. /rant
Now to cover your issue...
I have used both Flat (trinitron/shadow mask) and will tell you that the more you pay, more often then not, the better quality you get. The Trinitron is the best no questions asked. They have very little, if any distortion in the image and are pleasant to look at, although rather large in total size. The Shadow mask CRT's do have issues with distortion near the edge of the screen. They are also not a true flat screen, as most vendors will cut the corner and slap a thick piece of flat glass on the front to make it look like a flat monitor.
I think you would be much better off with getting a 15" LCD that has a good contrast Ratio then with holding onto the CRT's Keep in mind that a 15" LCD is the same as a 17" monitor.
CRT's suffer from way too many issues (reflective light is the worst) to deal with. LCD's are pretty fool proof when you get a good unit. You don't even need to worry about refresh rates. Size is another thing for me. /rant
Now to cover your issue...
I have used both Flat (trinitron/shadow mask) and will tell you that the more you pay, more often then not, the better quality you get. The Trinitron is the best no questions asked. They have very little, if any distortion in the image and are pleasant to look at, although rather large in total size. The Shadow mask CRT's do have issues with distortion near the edge of the screen. They are also not a true flat screen, as most vendors will cut the corner and slap a thick piece of flat glass on the front to make it look like a flat monitor.
I think you would be much better off with getting a 15" LCD that has a good contrast Ratio then with holding onto the CRT's Keep in mind that a 15" LCD is the same as a 17" monitor.