I've played on a number of different buzzer systems, and I'd have to
say my favorite is the Judge (from Electramatic). It is also the
cheapest system to my knowledge, and is rather popular here in the
Midwest. I would recommend it over "the knot" (Quizwizard or
something?) or any other system that doesn't allow players to see
when they've buzzed in. I also wouldn't recommend those systems that
have a light sitting in front of the player, and then a "thingie" (to
use the scientific term) you hold in your hand and hit the button
with your thumb. While the light in front of the player is more
convinient for recognition purposes, these systems seem to me to be
more fragile and tempermental than the Judge.
The Judge certainly isn't indestructible, but I'd say a majority of
the problems stem from 1) one pedal falls off a desk, which almost
always causes the rest of the pedals on one side to fall, or 2)
people who feel the need to slam their pedal every single time they
buzz in, moreso from repeated use by such players than by single
instances.
Paul Tomlinson