Perhaps the staves' importance lies not in magic power but in status. The breaking of Saruman's staff would then have reduced him in terms of his position as an Ithron, and Gandalf's staff breaking during battle would not have posed an obstacle in terms of performing magic.
Thus, instead of being a source or stronghold of power, they could have been a regulatory element imposed by the Valar: necessary to have clout within the order, while ensuring somehow that use of power did not get out of hand.
Or maybe Tolkien just didn't want us to think about it this hard. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img]
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