the only grades that matter for set cards are 6, 9 and 10
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For my display for the few slabs i have there i want basically only 9 since i like the unity, i have two 9,5s that i graded myself but i have no problem with them as it starts with 9, so i guess i see the half grades basically equivalent of the lower full grade but i have little issues with it
Then why pay a premium for a 10 if it’s not perfect/pristine? 
As we all know grading is subjective and no matter how you slice a grade - by 1, 0.5, or .01 - it will ultimately be an arbitrary way to capture what some observer saw or didn’t see.
I’ll buy CGC 9.5 if they are comparable to a 9 price point. BGS 9.5 I’d probably pay a higher premium since it’s technically gem, but only if I couldn’t find the card in a PSA or CGC slab
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For me it really depends on the card in question. If it’s one where there’s a low amount of PSA 10s (or that it’s a ‘tough’ grader), then a 9.5 can potentially create an interesting value option for collecting. Say for certain 1st Ed WOTC holos or something like that where a 9.5 could be way cheaper than a PSA 10, but not much more than a PSA 9.
They generally carry a slight premium over a 9, and at least with BGS, it can be satisfying to see ‘Gem mint’ as opposed to just ‘mint’ on the slab along with the nice gold label. CGC 9.5s were a great value at one point, especially for those who were collecting before the grading standard change a bit and they became ‘10s’ after as both CGC 9.5 & 10s were relatively tough scores to get back then. I do wish BGS had a better reputation in Pokemon, the 9.5 would be more compelling then, but sadly that will unlikely ever change at this point.
Because of this, a lot of times 9.5s (especially BGS) will fly under the radar at auctions, and so it can create a good buying opportunity for certain cards as people will almost always search for PSA first. At times you might even get them for the same or less than a PSA 9.
Overall though - I think it’s generally safer to buy ‘whole’ grades. Most people want 8s, 9s or 10s for most cards. For me these 9.5s are going to generally be mainly for long-term collecting pieces and not for quick re-sale or flipping, or at least that’s how I’d collect them.
these are terrible grades in general they will rarely ever cross to psa 10 (bgs 9.5 and cgc “10”/old 9.5) so u basically have an overpriced 9
if a psa 10 costs 10k and psa 9 costs 1k then the bgs 9.5 might sell for 2k 
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I love BGS 9.5 on vintage.
They are 99% the same condition card as their PSA 10 equivalent but often cost 50% less.
Great steals to be had on auctions for them.
Hopefully BGS update their grading scale though, sadly people buy the label above the card itself - for this reason (and some others) BGS has lost market cap.
On vintage, 9.5s have a 2-3x price multiplayer than a PSA 9.
I really dislike the PSA 8.5. It’s a weird thing.
I did send 61 cards at service level Super Express, get 15 times a 8,5 back.
At the same time I send 3 x 180 bulk. They all completed and NONE .5 grade.
They all come from my own collection only decided to had the more expensive ones graded faster.