Where do you cut old phal flower stems?

[JanS]

Hi!
A long time ago I read that you can cut an old phal flower spike half way down and induce another flowering stem to come out of the old one much quicker than if you cut the old one off completely and wait for the plant to shoot out a new one from the base. This year I did that to a number of my phals, but I must say the results (aesthetically) are not that great. I am attaching an example of one: a new flower spike did indeed shoot out of the old one, but the plant decided to send out a brand new spike anyway. The result is two gnarly stems with subdivisions and only 2 or 3 flowers on each.

I am interested to know your practice on this topic - is there a trick where to cut the old stem or do you think it's just not worth it?

(BTW - this is a scented phal, somewhat subtle but very pleasant scent)