Open vs Closed Gearboxes

[tim-tim]

A few of us were sitting around a table in the shop the other night discussing the pros and cons of open and closed gearboxes.

This was brought up during a challenge for a small group of students to redesign a transmission for the 2012 robot. We have done both in the past, but what are the experiences of other teams?

We have run custom (not as aesthetically appealing as other teams have) open transmissions; and have used more than our fair share of COTS transmissions, which are typically enclosed. We have always had success with both. What are your experiences?

What lessons have you learned that can be shared with others?

*Note: This is not meant to be a standard vs custom thread, but focused on open vs closed designs*