Showdown: Shifter type

Hey all: I've seen many a type of shifter, and it seems that three of these are most prominant. These three being Mesh shifters, Dog shifters, and Ball-Lock shifters. So here's my question for you all:

Which one is the best?

The goal here is not to end up with a "my shifter turned out better than yours" type discussion, but to hear the technical facts about every type.

My personal opinion is the Ball-Lock shifter. The reason I go with this is due to it's size and weight difference from the other types. It can take massivley less space, and if done right can be lighter as well.

However, it does have the down side of requiring more advanced machining facilities. Another down side is that it requires more fine parts, and so the risk of breaking something is slightly higher.



So what type would you say is best?