If you fly a lot, and your plane is properly set up, you can tell. By a lot I mean at least a case a week, for instance. Winning? A lot? Chances are you could very easily umm...."feel the difference"....heh.

No, it holds position better, and one degree of travel on a clean pattern plane makes a HELL of a difference. Now granted, if you only fly say once a week or so, and you're geeking every manuever, then no you probably couldn't tell the difference. But when you're flying a lot and you are routinely going up against guys that are only seperated from you by a point or 2, then it can make all the difference in the world.

It's not something you can rationally explain, although I'm trying (from a strange angle, I know). but honestly you really just have to feel it, and it depends on a number of factors. For instance if you're linkages have play, then no you'd likely not feel it. if however they were totally tight with no slop and you swapped to digitals, chances are you'd feel it immediately, assuming you had a decent plane to begin with. Some designs it doesn't matter what you put in there, they fly like crap and hunt a lot.

Now the decision of whether or not they're worth the money? Totally an individual decision. I even put digitals on my fun flys. But I campaigned a pattern plane a couple of years ago with JR 7005s all the way around, and I won 8 out of 8 and a district championship. So, maybe I'm just muddying the waters more But if you don't think they're worth it, then they probably aren't (for you). And if you do, then they are DEFINITELY worth it. Is that clear as mud? Heh.

-Mike