Originally Posted by Rowan

Saves you cash at least on the outlay. The only concern was whether the hub would fit the dropouts.

I must say SLX does seem to be a good compromise in the Shimano line-up. Good price but also pretty good engineering. I sometimes regret not putting SLX hubs on our Thorn touring bikes instead of opting for the XT hubs with the aluminium axles (which haven't given any trouble so far).