
Shimano may not be on the cutting edge of bicycling technology, but just about anything they make and release works extremely well. Shimano XT is probably one of the best money/performance values in MTB. XT typically has all the key features from XTR, but made from little bit less exotic materials, but the weight difference is pretty minimal. The XT rear derail is no different. I have 3 XT rear derails on various bikes....all of them takes a beating and works very well. And cheap enough to replace without having to eat top-ramen for a month.
Only have a couple hundred miles so far, but shifting with this derailleur seems very precise. No issues with chain slap or looseness with an 11 speed SRAM chain.