Handheld macro/close-up shots

How many of you use your macro set-ups hand held? I will be buying a Canon 430EX II to go with my Canon macro lens to shoot flowers and the occasional butterfly. The flash is so I don't have need of a tripod to get the shots I want. Essentially, my intent is to shoot them as abstracts using the macro lens to give me the look I want.
Any macro work I have done, which is minimal, was done in natural light and often necessitated a slow shutter speed and a tripod. In using a flash I am hoping to avoid the slow shutter speed and the tripod. I am hoping there is a few of you who shoot in this manner and can give me some insight as to your experiences. Thank you.

The flash will probably sit too high to be effective for macro if you have it mounted on the hotshoe, however if you hook it up with an ETTL cord and hold it by hand you should be able to light your subjects. Plus you'll be able to control the direction of the light, rather than have it be flat and head-on.

I use mine handheld, can't recall ever using the tripod with any of my macro lenses.

I also shoot hand held, I think most of us do for insects as they don't sit around long enough for a tripod to be practical. Most of us have some sort of cobbled together flash diffuser to soften the light. If you look in the macro talk forum linked from the to of this forum you will find plenty of info about diffusion.

Thank you for your comments, I appreciate it.