Hi LDawes, hope this isn't too late to be useful.
I've been using a pair for a year or two now and have no complaints. They remained waterproof on a very wet tour of North Wales (the ultimate test!) and I also use them for commuting and shopping etc in the Wet Midlands.
I only recently bought a pair of Ortlieb front rollers, so I can't offer much of a comparison between the two brands. The main differences are probably the lack of inner pockets, the clasp system for holding them on the rack and the extra flappy lid that goes over the roll-top closure.
Inner pockets: I've not found this to be a big issue. Smaller items might get bundled together in a drybag on tour anyway, which makes them easy to locate, or for the commute I used a lanyard fixed to the roll-top buckle. This would go down inside the main compartment and I'd clip my keys and a pouch for wallet and ID card onto it - 'fishing' them out when required.
Clasp system: They're sturdy clips (good thing) but if you're trying to get both panniers off a rack as part of wrangling a loaded tourer onto a soon-to-depart train then you may feel the extra effort and seconds compared to the nifty Ortlieb system. No grazed knuckles here though, and I never thought of them as being upside down (as per the Amazon reviewer). This year I've been experimenting with the left hand pannier (the one I use most) and some Ortlieb hooks (
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/ortlieb-...m-with-inserts-for-8-and-11mm-e162-prod14100/). Although the curve of the mounting bar is ever so slightly different, it seems to be working fine so far and I now have quick release on one side at least!
Flappy lid: No real opinion about it - helps keep things in when the panniers are over loaded a bit too much to roll the roll-tops properly. I don't recall it ever being a nuisance.
Build quality is fine. I recently had a handle break, but a) the pannier was
heavy, b) it's on the pannier with the Ortlieb added in anyway, so I still have a handle to use there, c) I was already using an added shoulder strap from another bag on that pannier as well and d) it hasn't affected the main function at all. Definitely something I can live with.
Absolutely worth the £40 or so I spent on them!
