For those of us that cut our teeth on glow engines it's simply something that we understand better and feel more comfortable with using. And for those that haven't made the leap into the electron pool the learning curve to figure out what works and to buy all the stuff needed can seem pretty daunting. Faced with that the idea of dripping oil all over the place and living with the noise and starting issues doesn't seem so bad.....

Skyraider, my own feeling is that the Gentle Lady is a nicer model to fly with perhaps a slight edge on the thermalling in lighter lift department. But I've read that the fit of the parts in the kit leaves a lot to be desired. A major part of the joy of building is working with well fitted parts. So I'd give the nod to whichever kit you learn has the nicer wood and better parts fit.

Now I've never seen a Riser kit and the Goldberg laser kits may have gotten fixed up to produce better fits. I can't comment either way on that aspect. But I'd suggest that you check for reviews on each with an eye to the fit of the parts cutting and go with the one that has the better reputation on that front.

And if aeajr's question about going electric has caught your intrest and if you're willing to buy into this "new technology" I suspect that you'd find it easy to do and highly rewarding. No more oil soaked wood. No more cut fingers, No more nasty noise until it's out some 20 yards and more. It really is a slick way to fly. Best of all with the low cost of the gear these days you can get into the whole electric propulsion thing for a Riser or Gentle Lady for probably $120 worth of motor, ESC, Lipo packs and charger. Everything you need all in for that cost.