Hey Robert,
Yes, definitely for recording I prefer Reaper but they are different programs really. Reason is great with so many creative tools, sounds and instruments. But the biggest downside for me is it won't take any of my favored plugins like EZDrummer, Guitar Rig, Amplitube, my reverb suites, compressors etc. But the great thing is I can Rewire Reason (I believe) in Reaper! So it looks like the best of both worlds. You can Rewire in ProTools too but it's quite a hog.

I haven't done any mixing yet with Reaper but it looks to be good there too. You should give the demo a try. It's the full version with no limits. Downloads in seconds and you can be up and playing around in 5 minutes.