Thanks to all who answered this thread. I had a chance to "play" with some Safariland speed loaders for a "K" frame and was so impressed, that I ordered a couple. I'm gonna try them as soon as they arrive.

Safariland for me is preferred. It's also what we were issued on the job for our S/W 67. They were pretty fast with practice.

I dont have a problem carrying a speed stick and mostly dont carry a Safariland or HKS loader with me, prefering the flat speed stick (Bianchi?)..

My take on speed loaders:

HKS and 5 Star - fine for general range use. Requires two motions to load cartridges - insert/twist. Relies on gravity to chamber the rounds, so the muzzle must be pointing down. BTW - 5-Star release knob rotates the opposite direction from the HKS loaders

Safariland Comp I & II - Better for carry applications where concealability and speed are a concern. Just requires firm insertion to release the cartridges - no separate twist motion. Release button bears against the extractor star to release. Still relies on gravity to chamber the rounds. The Comp I has no top knob and must be grasped by the sides. The Comp II has a top knob making it easier to remove the loader from the carry pouch.

Safariland Comp III and Jet Loader - Competition style speed loaders. Single motion (insertion) to release rounds. Loader is spring-loaded and pushes the rounds into the chamber - does not rely on gravity. Large top knob for easy grasp and removal from pouch (not suitable for CC).

Dade & SpeedBeez (Centerfire) - both of these have a coil spring, around the circumference of the body of the loader, that retains the rounds in the loader. The top knob pushes the cartridge rims past the spring into the chambers. Prone to losing cartridges if dropped - not real positive retention.

Variant SL - I've never seen these used, but from what I've heard these were excellent. Unfortunately, it appears that the lone importer for these is no longer bringing them into the country.

The loader you choose may be dependent on application (comp v. carry v. range) or availability of a particular loader for a particular cartridge/firearm combination, so optimum applications may not always be achievable.

As an alternative, companies like TKCustom can machine the revolver cylinder to accept moon clips without losing the ability to still use speed loaders or load rounds singly.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

I have some Speed Beez. For giggles I bought some centerfire ones. 6 and 8 shot ones. They are range use only. Look at them wrong and a round falls out. Lol. Where Speed Beez shines in my opinion is their 22 speedloaders. I really like those. It is nice that their 8 shot that I bought for my Ruger SP101 (22) also fits my S&W 317 perfectly. Nice. They still don’t like being jostled but they hold onto the little 22’s much better than the larger versions.

Only other complaint is the older SB’s loaders had a shorter “button”. You can’t just push it into cylinder by the top or sides. You have to hold it by the sides because of the big screw in middle that holds it all together. I have one of those and it is wonky. I suspect that is why they changed the design slightly.

I'd like to thank all the responses I received to my query. I received a couple of Safariland Speedloaders for my revolver early this week. I played with them with some A Zoom snapcaps. What I discovered is this:
1) The Safariland speedloaders hold the rounds more positively than the HKS. i.e there's no "wiggle" to the rounds. A minor thing.
2) They are a bit more complicated to load. This is subjective to be sure. That being said, again, not a major concern because...
3) They are much easier to use! Once placed in the cylinder, just press. I find them easier to activate over the HKS variant.

I will be using these loaders in the future. Thanks again for all the insight.