What do you mean by exorbitant brokerage fees? $3(before volume rebate) per round turn on SFE is not bad at all. Turnover volume is the aim of all prop firms. To do that they have to attract traders with low costs and quality infrastructure.
With Propex you're learning to trade with their...
I've done the Sydney Propex training program and it was quite good. Basically it's a good way to get free screen time while being mentored on different approaches and strategies. However, the most useful aspect is you get access to the trading floor and pick the brains of all the traders...