Hi nails888
I've been wondering when to jump in and make my first DhO post and this seems like something I can contribute to so here goes

I've done some direct realization techniques and relating to the con of "no way to find out where you are in practice" I know what you mean - I don't know where I am, sometimes I think I've barely begun, and other times I wonder if I'm anagami. If there were easy-to-find realized teachers who were willing to discuss such things, that would be a solution. I haven't looked, so I can't say there are or are not, although I've read plenty of reports on DhO about teachers who do not know, and teachers who know but will not say.
There's always the Zen maps - Ox Herding pictures, the Five Ranks referenced elsewhere on DhO. I have at times believed the Tibetan Bhumis can line up with direct practice development (Dzogchen/Mahamudra) but that's if you can get past all the cultural stuff .
The stink of enlightenment is probably a good sign of progress and whatever experience(s) led to that stink developing. For me it was an experience where I saw through the relative - dropped it completely - and saw for the first time in a very clear way the absolute.
I suppose the underlying issue with all of this map-reading is that the maps don't seem to all line up 100% so being done in any one line of development becomes less absolute and more relative

As an extreme example, I'm aiming for enlightenment but i revisit actualism (actualfreedom.com.au) periodically and find it hard to forget their position on the instinctual passions.
In closing the best thing I have found about direct realization techniques is I have had a lot of luck practicing them during day to day life, and have not had to undertake any retreats to get this far.
Craig