Have all the brands on my bikes:

Shimano Ultegra on my spring/fall training bike (Rose X-lite bike , Reynolds Aero for faster days, Mavics for training days, Stages power meter)
Campa Super Record on my race bike (Eddy Merckx EMX bike , FFWD or ENVE carbon wheels on race days depending on wind/climbs, hand built Mavics w. Hope hubs for training)
SRAM Etap HRD on my other race bike, since I wanted to test discs (Canyon Aeroad bike, ZIPP 404 for race days, hand built Hope w Mavic rims for training, Quarq DZero Red power meter)

All three work just fine. Of the mechanical, the Campa have the best feeling and shifts really sharply and accurately. But really expensive with extra cassettes etc. for the training wheels...
ETAP works like a charm. On the downside, shifts a little slower than Di2, but it has no practical importance. The Ultegra brakes are really good. The Campa brakes are super good once you have changes the pads...


Ultegra is of course a cheaper option than Super Record and therefore the bike is a little heavier, but the function of Ultegra is flawless....

They could handle pulling the cable pretty damn tight, I believe... the damage happens when you release all that tension. Like I said, this is a potential problem with just about any escapement mechanism, particularly Campy's crappy plastic guts. The way to avoid the damage if you've overshifted one is to release the tension some other way, like pedaling it out or undoing the cable if triple on double.

Detent mechanisms like Campy's good shifters, or downtube levers or gripshift, are totally unfazed.

Anyway, the point was that just because SRAM shifter breakages happen, that doesn't make them more vulnerable than any other escapement shifter. In fact, due to their simplicity and large metal wear surfaces, I'm pretty sure they're more durable than Shimano's fiddly complexity and Campy's lame plastic.

The nasty clunky feeling of SRAM is a result of the elegant shifter mechanism; when pulling the cable, you have to push the lever past the click that releases the cable - it's that simple.

Their drivetrains also have a reputation for not being as smooth, but that's not something that everybody notices.

They're built much lighter than Shimano or Campy RDs. If you shift one into your wheel, it's definitely toast. Mind you, I don't think Shimano or Campy offer replacement cages for even Dura-Ace or Record, so that means a derailer is almost always toast when it's shifted into the wheel anyway.

Now it's been 2 years since switching from mechanical to eTap but I don't remember and clunky feel. And the Rival 1 on my CX bike shifts amazingly smooth.

woops i forgot when direction they exploded in. I got lucky and didn't do any permanent damage and learned quickly to set up the shifters in the more conservative manner.

When you pull the cable with a DoubleTap shifter, there are two clicks. Some folks don't like it.

I think it feels a bit crap, but I realise it's the price to pay for such a lightweight and robust mechanism.

I can understand people not liking the way a product works. I personally dislike having to push brake lever to shift. I find it awkward and not natural feeling.

To each their own.