Reply to DDJ T1 - my ideal solution?

Hey Guys,

First time posting on the community s but been following for a while now. Basically I've been using Traktor Pro for going on 3 years, bought an Kontrol X1 to accompany my Omni Control last year and when the S4 was announced I decided to upgrade my whole setup.

At first it seemed ideal, I sold my old gear and got an S4 on the first UK shipment. I had the same audio crackle / dropout problems so many other Windows users faced and although it sounded fine with various external soundcards I decided to return the unit - just as well since so many 4 deck mixers have been announced since.

I DJ almost entirely progressive and trance, 4 decks is a must but I rarely found myself utilizing the sample decks or loop recorder (perhaps that's just my mixing style). The most important things for me, in order are:
1) Reliability
2) 4 deck functionality with sync
3) Access to all hot cues

The dude I DJ with believes laptop djing is the anti-Christ and swears by his CDJ 350 setup. For me, the DDJ T1 seems ideal. He would feel more comfortable playing on it, I would feel more comfortable on his 350s.

It lacks the sample decks and buttons, but I could upgrade to the new software in the future and map shift cues or a midi-fighter to sample deck triggers. I prefer the layout of the T1 but it's seems to be getting such bad press. I feel more than anything I'd be paying for reliability and build quality, I'm willing to sacrifice rarely used features for that.

What do you guys believe? The only other option was the S1 but meh, I'm a Traktor fanboy and the slip mode / jog wheel speed adjust wont function in Traktor plus less effects knobs.