Originally Posted by
jonathanf2
I'm currently using Sensah Team Pro 11 speed shifters which are also Shimano compatible (similar to the Ignite shifters) on a budget build bike and I'm not too fond of the shared brake/shift lever. I'm giving the shifters a few more tries to see if I can dial them in properly, if not I'm going to take them off. My impression of them is that they're more like friction shifters that do so-so indexing. Shimano shifters have true index shifting as they don't require major friction or force to shift into the next gear. I'm sure the Ignite shifters will work fine, but eventually you can upgrade them to Sora shifters if you want more precise shift performance.
??? Only difference in the levers are there are no separate down shift lever. Both Sensah and Shimano utilize shared brake/lever system for upshifting. SRAM, Campy, and L-TWoo have separate systems but not Shimano. I been using Empire Pro for a few months and prefer it to my Ultegra 6800 and Dura Ace 9100 setups. The feedback on the indexing is more distinct than Shimano and can't imagine it's that different on Team except for the change in pull ratio. The throw does require more force but not something that different and I'm at home after a few shifts when I change between bikes and system. The Empire Pro's shifts are immediate unlike Shimano which occurs after the cable tension is released. The front shifting is night and day. For the same price of replacement Ultegra shifter pair (no longer able to access/remove bottom access panel screws due to rust), I got the complete drive train without the Shimano's $hitty front derailleur (6800 and 8000 but excluding my shadow 9100 which works ok). Time will tell but I'm not expecting to dig out shredded cable every 2-3k miles.