I have had one of the new XT shadow derailleurs like this one on my new bike for about a month and a half now. I love the quick clean shifting, no chain slap(unlike the old xt that would make a huge racket from bouncing off the chain stay), ease of setup, and the fact that it gives you at least a quarter of an inch more clearance over any other derailleur out there. The new design is far superior to any thing offered in the past from shimano(and possibly even sram), and unlike the old shimano style derailleurs it uses a direct line for the shifter casing to follow rather than the old loop around type that was a huge pain and get snagged allot. To make a long story short I think you will share my view on this one after you have tried it and would recommend every one looking for a new derailleur to give this one a good hard look.

 thats a nice derailer, quite an upgrade from my old, xl from 03 the spring on this is much stiffer, almost as if i dont need a guide.