I will venture out on a limb and state that almost all high pole outrunners need high advance timing (the Pletty needs 24 degrees), however, not all controllers work the same. Most (if not all nowadays) advance or manipulate the timing during motor operation based on some feedback that the esc can see during operation. Some controller may advance the timing during operation more than others, which is why they need to be set at a lower initial point.

For instance, I know that Schulze when set to hard (high) timing, varies between 20-26 degrees during operation, and when set to medium timing varies between 15-20 degrees. Possibly another brand ESC when set to low or medium timing may operate at the same point. So you may think you are running lower timing, when in fact you are not.