[LeelandS]

Coming from one team who does shifting almost every year to another that has never had a shifting robot, here's my take.

Pro, it significantly simpler. I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I could look at the drives and understand exactly what was what, what it was doing, where it came from and where it went. I could even maintain them a bit, which I could never do on my old team. Weight is also a factor, especially when you consider the pneumatics required for instant shifting. 67, I believe I read, had window motor powered instant shifting, which obviously still eat up weight.

Cons, hands down, was versatility. Especially from a coaching standpoint, it was really nice have the ability to shift to low gear for power. I can't count how many times I wished the robot had shifting, either when interacting with other robots or tackling the bridges. If the robot had shifting this year, I don't doubt they would have done much better. That's not to say shifting adds to success directly, but having the added ability is very helpful in matches.

Personally, I would like to make a push for shifting in the future. Buying shifters is out of the question; the team simply can't afford them. But if we can develop a solid, custom design that suits our resources, I'd be thrilled.

Just my take.
-Leeland