Dropping a weight does not necessarily indicate that one can not HANDLE a given weight. In my case, for instance, I may feel completely done at 5 reps. I instantly have a choice to make: go for another rep or put the weight down. I choose to push, powering out another rep. Then another split second decision: another rep or choose to QUIT. Since I am not a quitter I go for another. I barely squeak it out and I want to quit. My muscles are on fire but I go for another, get half way there, fight the weight for a second, then completely fail and drop the weight keeping some control of it on the way down.
BTW, i probably grrunt and grrowl profusely while lifting those last few reps but I wouldn't know because my ears are ringing from the effort.
I stand up completely spent. If someone wants to tell me I couldn't handle the weight they can FCK themselves as far as I am concerned.
People who only lift what they can handle never are able to handle any more. Then they complain that their lack of progress is because they don't juice or because they hurt themselves with some heroic injury.
Now the only weights I ever drop are squats and maybe rack pulls and I hate people who drop or throw weights when they're not even tired yet but when you see a guy pushing himself ro the limit, trust me, he isn't making noise to try to impress anyone. If he's working to the limit, he has complete tunnel vision on he lift and couldn't care less if people are looking at him or not.
If you can't give guys like this a fckn break, join one of the pansy "no judgment" gyms that only pass judgment on self-disciplined hard workers.