I need a new set of Discs and I had originally wanted a set of Hope XC4's, but after seeing that I can get a full set of SLX for £169 from Merlin I am tempted by getting them instead. I have just ditched my troublesom Avid Juicy 5's so want less maintainance and more user friendly brakes.
So over to you guys for your thoughts…. Tell me about bleeding, Pad costs, Pad life, Power, Modulation and of course how good they look when fitted…

Not had them for long enough to change pads yet but very impressed so far. I had some Deores before which never gave me any trouble (and are still going strong on a mate's bike), had some Juicys which I probably spent more time bleeding than riding, so decided to go back to Shimano.

The servowave stuff seems to work very well at keeping the pads away from the inevitable slight warping that the discs have.

had mine 8 monhs, im very pleased with em'. work well, easy to bleed and easy to set up.

had mine for 8 or 9 months and they're great. fit, cut hose
to length (didn't even need to bleed !) and ride – I've had
to bleed the rear once as I stored the bike upside down for
a couple of weeks – they, apparently, don't like this or so
the manual says :-]

Other than that good power, good feel and pretty bullet proof.

Bought a set for my Big Hit (£120 from CRC without discs) and have ridden them for a week in the Alps.

Can't talk about bleeding or longevity yet, but the performance has been very good – providing brilliant power and modulation despite being on a ridiculously heavy bike, riding on some very steep terrain and being dragged far too much by a frequently terrified rider.

Oh, and the pads supplied with them hadn't even worn that much.

Would definitely buy again.

run SLX on two bikes very pleased with them, bleeding and setup is easy, look good relative to cost. I've run the same pads on other bikes and they last well.

Bleeding is simple even for a numpty, plenty of power/modulation. New pads from SSC improved them a lot. Hope Mono M4 feel more positive if noisier though.

Not as sharp feeling as some other brakes, but great modulation and really easy to bleed