Looking to get a set of cheap hydraulics for a hardtail, choice is boiling (hopefully not) down to either Hayes Nines or Avid Juicy 3's.

Opinions and recommendations on either please

All the avids Ive ever tried have felt good but you often hear of horror stories with regards to reliability.

I had some hayes nines and they seemed really powerful and never broke.

I reckon most people will say hayes nines

Avid Juicy 3's ok but nothing more. Have had them in 3 bikes and they have been decent for the price but I wouldn't go out of my way to choose them. I now have a pair of XTs and there is no comparison on feel and stopping power.

Shimano Deore or if you can stretch to it SLX?

I have some really good condition Hayes Nines for sale if you're interested…

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-hayes-nine-disc-brakes

Personally I just prefer Shimano, and as I've got 4 bikes, it makes sense to have the same brakes on all of them if only cos it means I don't have issues when it comes to spare brake pads, or swapping wheels from bike to bike. The Hayes Nines are plenty powerful though (even with only 160mm rotors) and they're totally reliable.

I've actually got a set of Nines on my FS at present & I'm fairly happy with them, tho I reckon they maybe need serviced. I'd get another set for the HT (£80 from CRC) but saw a set of Juicy 3s for £89 & wondered how they compared.

I'd agree with you MaverickBoy, that it makes sense to keep same brakes across the fleet

avid 3s can be a bit tempremental, nines are powerful but heavy. Deore would be my advice, but watch which year you purchase as one of the recent ones got terrible reviews I think.