Lever only version here too and I would also strongly recommend opting for the bar mounted lever too, a flick of your thumb is always going to be less faff that a last second “Crotch grab” trust me 😉
I also briefly had an inner tube condom fitted but decided it was a crap solution as it just held shite close to the seal and got cut up on full compression.
I’d had mine almost 2 years before any issues developed in my case it was a bit of slow height loss at full extension with some oil weeping around the seal. I followed This guide cleaned out the seal and all the internal parts, re filled it with 5Wt and it’s been sweet for the last six months…
Its worth noting thought that I have several bikes and while it does gets used year round on my HT (probably averages out to ~20 miles a week), it’s sees more dry conditions/summer use while the SS takes the strain in mud and rain, So my Hilo has probably not had the harshest existence possible…