I've grown quite fond of knob winders. In fact, I've grown to prefer them to lever winders. Mechanically they are simpler. That is good. A well adjusted and lubed knob winder doesn't take much effort. I think the biggest hurdle to using knob winders is the perceived slowness of use. A wrong perception. I developed a techinque for speed knob winding. I put the knob in the space between my thumb and finger. (See first picture.) Pressing the knob with the side of my finger I pull the finger back. It completes the wind before it reaches the end of the finger. (See second picture.) Reach over, press the shutter, and go back to step 1. I can get off 10 exposures in about 15 seconds. This might not work with short fingers. Try it. How many shots can you get off with lever winders?