Gapless top rind is a diferent deal. Still while I do not hundreds of engines under my belt I try to surround myself with smart people who do and most will say they don't like them. They do give the end user a false sense of calm with leak down numbers for sure but most top tier guys do not put a lot into leak down numbers either. Compression numbers yes, leakdown not so much. I could see why some engine guys use them for that very reason alone. They will show excellent "seal" with a leakdown test so makes them look good.

FWIW $347 for a set of rings is not bad at all. My predator stuff was about $1500 more than that, just saying. As for the second gap depends on intended use, block material and ring selected IMO.