Double clutching on the upshift makes mine smooth. I've tried RPM matching and it still wants to hit rather hard, at least harder than I like, and I've driven sticks all my life. Some guys say they can do it easily, so maybe it's something to do with my trans, or just my lack of skill. I find it just as easy to double clutch and there is zero issue with any engagement, at least on my trans.
To me, downshifting is the part that makes you pucker a little. Downshifting definitely requires you to RPM match the best you can, or it's going to bang pretty hard. If you look at the decel lug on a Jerico gear, it's very small, so you do not want to try and finesse it or it's going to eat away at that lug, which will cause issues with it staying in gear on deceleration. You want to get it into gear immediately.
It's also going to bang when you put it in first from a stop. That's pretty much the nature of them, I believe. I don't have a clutch issue that I'm aware of, and no matter how long I sit to let the gears idle, it'll still clunk pretty hard going into first.
Also, on the clutch assisted trans, there is a rather large gap between the accel and decel lugs (there is no decel lug on a clutchless, so if you get off the gas it will pop out of gear), so there is a lull in forces transferred when getting on or off the gas. It tends to make the car feel a bit jerky, but that's just the nature of that style engagement. The gap is there to allow the lugs to have space to engage at speed.
To take full advantage of the trans, you really need a Long shifter. That makes it a bit more work as you have to raise up the gate to downshift form 4th or 3rd, to any lower gear. I don't find it a problem, it's just something else that is in the equation. Obviously a Hurst style shifter doesn't have that issue.
In standard traffic, or rural areas like I live in, I don't find any of these things to be real objectionable. If you get in city or heavy traffic, you'll have your hands full. The very limited amount of heavy traffic that I'm likely to encounter is not an issue to me, but like I said, I have a lot more tolerance for these issues than the vast majority of people would want to endure. Just be honest with yourself about what you would find tiresome so that you don't regret your decision.
Final word, once you get on the track, you won't want to have a toploader again, at least while racing
