I built up a bike for my wife with the SA 5-speed (the version without a drum brake). It works pretty well and setup wasn't really a problem. The shift cable seems to need adjustment every now and then, but that's easy enough to do. Otherwise it's been pretty reliable.

That said, I only went with the SA hub because the bike in question is an old 3-speed with 114mm rear dropouts, and it was the only hub available in such a narrow spacing. You can get 7 or 8-speed hubs for not much more money.

If you're dealing with mostly flat ground, you might as well just get a 3-speed hub and save some cash. Or even go single-speed.

I haven't tried the XFDD but I've been tempted by it. It's supposed to have the same internals as the Shimano generator hub, plus you get the brake thrown in for about the same price.