Bicycle Mechanics - Is low normal better than high normal with STI shifters?

Looking at XT rear derailleurs and wondering if one was better than the other.
I'm just a commuter/recreational rider.

I would prefer high normal with STI. I am more likely to want to sweep multiple gears while braking coming to a stop in traffic than in any kind of accelerating scenario.

I much prefer high normal. For one thing, that's the way that STI's are designed to work.

Low normal was originally designed for mountain bikes because it's supposed to offer some kind of advantage when coming down one steep hill and immediately riding up another. My son likes low normal for his freeride bike because it lets him do something that I don't quite understand while he's riding a wheelie.

Thanks,
I have used high normal before; but I was wondering... The description says
reverse spring which I think means high normal.

This summer I was touring and coming into Bucksport and the derailleur wire broke leaving
me with a limited choice of gears.

That's not what the post id about, I am trying to work up the courage to pull the trigger
on a new bike.

"reverse spring" would be low normal. Also known as "rapid rise"
Annoying if you ask me. I prefer the traditional high normal design.

Ahhh,
thanks again.

I prefer the XT rapid rise on my touring and commuting bikes but I use Campy shifters not STI. The reason: when I'm carrying a load and climbing the effort to shift to an easier gear takes less effort and "throw". I've used both high and low normal and for me I like the rapid rise. FYI the campy shifters work perfect with the jtek adapters, don't know about Shimano road shifters and rapid rise. My guess it would work just fine, but it's just a guess.

I prefer the XT rapid rise on my touring and commuting bikes but I use Campy shifters not STI. The reason: when I'm carrying a load and climbing the effort to shift to an easier gear takes less effort and "throw". I've used both high and low normal and for me I like the rapid rise. FYI the campy shifters work perfect with the jtek adapters, don't know about Shimano road shifters and rapid rise. My guess it would work just fine, but it's just a guess.
Isn't the Shiftmate great? I have one matching Campy 10-speed Ergos to a Shimano rd and Shimano 9-speed cassette and the shifting is perfect.

The reason Ergos work well with a "rapid rise" rear derailleur is (assuming they are NOT the escapement version) they allow multiple shifts in both directions so you can sweep several downshifts using the mouse-ear. Shimano STI's, with their one "upshift" at a time, cannot downshift multiple cogs with one sweep when used with a rapid rise rd.