I prefer the Cheetah, but then again I've had one for 30 years and it's become natural.
A buddy has a ratchet-style with a release lever, but it seems like too much fooling around for me; I don't want to think about gear selection, I just want to get there. Every once in awhile he has to fuss with it.
That said, on a RMVB application on a car that leaves hard, I've learned not to rest my hand on the Cheetah's lever in 1st or I can bump it into 2nd at the hit.
I bought a used Cheetah on Ebay a few years back for just under $200 for a street/strip project. Needed a new quadrant decal and some cleaning. TA has everything for them in stock, including Rev/Fwd gates.