Totally understand Barb. You made some great and valid points, and I agree with almost all of them.
And Ashley was right, it is more for agility. Especially for getting it off fast. The thinner the lead, the more tangled it gets. Heck, even on my rolled slip lead, his fur gets tangled in the hardware, not the leash itself.
I'm not sure if it's the material, width, or construction of the martingale, but it doesn't get tangled at all! Which is awesome when you're trying to get it off in a hurry.
As for the lunging and pulling, I think it does help a lot. NOT by preventing the lunging, but by preventing the choking. With my current leads, Koji lunges and barks at ppl/dogs (something we're working on). He doesn't it so harshly that when he barks, his bark comes out half muffled. Or he starts to choke. The wider collar will distribute more pressure, so he shouldn't choke or put that much pressure on his larynx. So, y'know, he can bark freely. LOL. But seriously, for now, it's an agility tool. But it's also a great training tool for the pullers and lungers out there.
Otherwise, with the wide width, I'd agree I think there are a lot better alternatives. If you don't do agility, don't care about fussing with the hair to get it off, or don't have a puller/lunger.
ETA: since someone else brought up the daily wear, I will say this much. While I'm working on Koji's lunging, I will be having him wear it as a daily thing. Once he stops lunging at other dogs consistently, then we can go back to a normal sized collar. Again, this is due to the choking and pressure on his larynx.
Don't like that at all. 