i run saint rear mech on my orange alpine and love it. i have had 3 bikes with x9 rear mechs and just bought a short x9 rear mech for my hardtail build up in progress. to me they shift the same but i prefer the x9 shifter pod feel to my hands so its a personal choice thing to be honest. the saint does look the mutts nuts and looks like it can take a few harder hits off the rocks so take that into consideration when making your choice.