I suspect the issue here is that typically, on any digital multi FX, the presets are never great. And especially with a product like Helix where there is so much tweakability, testing it in a shop is really not the best environment to get the best out of it. It can take a bit of leisurely time to learn the ins and outs of what’s possible within the UI and get creative with routing and tweaking to get something truly stellar (as @GisserD has discovered) but “stellar” is totally within the realms of what Helix is capable of.
Anyway, you’ve obviously already made your mind up on the matter so who am I to try and convince you otherwise