Seems to me that the purpose/need dictates how this question should be answered. How are you going to use it? If you are deploying from significant depth, then a quality reel is called for and it can be used in a variety of other situations (setting a retraceable course, etc...). If all you want is to deploy it from shallow depths for a safety stop, then a reel might be considered overkill. I attached about 10 m of sturdy line and a whistle to my sausage (which has its own snap-link), then attached a chemical marker to the other end of the line. I wound the line onto the marker, rolled the sausage and put it all in a pouch on my BC. The only time I use this system is for safety stops, but I carry it on ALL dives regardless of conditions.