Yes, the downgrade is the thing. I've bitten the bullet and have a couple of pads from another maker on their way. I don't have qualms about that because I already have the maker's phone and am comfortable with its operating system. I'll wait to see if the situation improves with iOS8 before selling the iPad 2s, if not I'll sell them as 'crippled'.
The point that so many of the apologists for this 'upgrade' miss is that many are not complaining about iOS 8 as such. Can anyone name an OS maker who hasn't made a mess of an upgrade at least as bad as this one? On one of my phone's updates, the GPS functioned less well after an upgrade. These are complex items and such things will always happen.
The point was I could take it back to its previous version until the problem was fixed and use my phone as before. I accept that iOS is a step too far for my and my mother's iPad's. What I don't accept is that I am actively prevented by the maker from taking them back to their previous working condition.
I cannot begin to understanding the reason for such high-handedness but it is that that has upset me.
The mark of a well run company is not simply how good its products are but how well it picks up its mistakes. Apple products are no longer so unique that they have no competition and can treat customers with contempt. Does anyone believe that such a company didn't install iOS 8 on older machines to see how they fared? Of course they did. They just didn't care about the results it seems.