Once you remove chainrings the weight difference between SLX and XT is wicked negligible. The SLX cranks are going to hold up much better at the pedals.
I can vouch for SLX toughness. Be sure to pick up the model with the steel pedal inserts (its the version with the bash and double ring). Great cranks at an unbeatable price.
i'm running shimano xt's from 2008 that have been on 3 bikes now. theyre ugly as hell by now but still straight. no hardtails, but a slopestyle and a DH bike. 175lb rider, decent size jumps/drops. a hardtail would be a lot harder on cranks though. you might be ok if you are a light, smooth rider and never throw your bike. SLX are a better buy imho especially since you are risking bending or pulling out the pedal threads on the xt's.
That's exactly what happened to my old XT cranks and why I went SLX with pedal insert. Stiffness wise, although Shimano claims a massive gain in stiffness, they are pretty similar. I mean you won't notice it unless you're a pro bmxer or 4x guy and doing gates all the time.
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