Levelwind or non, what would you choose?

[stripadan]

All my surf sticks have levelwinds. I use all Abu conventionals. I don't mind the minor loss in distance. I remove or disable the casting brakes and regain quite a bit of distance.
Abu's have absolutely the best levelwinds for surf reels. Like Longshot said, you may have to replace a pawl now and then. Mine usually last all year unless in rough sandy surf. My canal reels have never failed me, but I replace the pawls every year, cheap insurance, and an easy fix.
Penn Internationals are the worst levelwinds, all three sizes. The worm gear is made of softer metal than the pawl and wears out first. That requires complete dis-assembly of the reel to repair. I always have at least ten sets in my shop for customer's reels, very common repair.
Shimano's are o.k., I'm just not a big fan of the Calcutta. I think it's overpriced compared to Abu especially with Smooth Drags installed in the Abu. Also the freespool pawl on the 700 size Calcutta is prone to bending, disabling the reel until complete dis-assembly to replace a $2 part.