I don't see the reason for this whole tango "push". What is so special / magical about "tango". To regular users like us what does it achieve ? (with the exception of consistency with gimp which I said should maybe change to using the better Inkscape icons).
Nothing magic or special. Just look the whole set (not just the toolbar ones) and see which is more consistent across the application. The oficial set has variations in different icons that make it look more like a bunch of different icons put together than a single set. Of course current Tango proposals have room for improvements, nobody says they're perfect. Just better based on certain technical aspects. (I repeated what those aspects are several times, check the previous messages)
It reminds me of how Windows keeps changing the user interface every version upsetting and confusing users just to sell something new.
The goal of Tango icons is to avoid that, and feel different apps "familiar". If every program has different icon sets based on personal preferences of their makers every time you learn a new program you have to get used to new icons look.
The proposed tango icons are not as clear, looked washed out, .... The node icon is worse. The diagram icon is near invisible, likewise gradient, eyedropper. Now all you're trying to do is tweak them to look more like the original inkscape icons - what's the point???
The point is reach a point of agreement between tangoers and people who want the current set. People who want Tango prefer the Art Libre set without modifications; people who want the current set prefer the current set without modifications. A Tango set with an appearance similar to the current set is a sort of intermediate that might make both happy.
Sorry if it was someone's contribution to try to improve things, but time would be better spent on more productive things.
Saying that others wasted their time just because you don't like the outcome is not very polite. Actually, you should be using the time it takes to write this message to improve the current set and fix several consistency problems. :-p