I have the exact pedals you reference above (the SPD-SL 105's). They were my first pair of clipless and were easy for me to learn to get into and out of of. You can can also easily adjust the tension on them to control how much force is required to get into and out of them. I am a pretty big guy and have about 1500 miles on mine with no squeaks or issues. I can't speak for any of the others but as of yet I have no reason to change or upgrade these. They even make two styles of cleats, one with a a fair amount of float and one with very little. For the price I think these represent a great value.