I would second the soft start. No contacts to change, won't mechanically hang up, more energy efficient and relatively cheap insurance for the customers motor. I prefer the Sprecher Schu units my self(more reliable then then Siemens)

With that being said I had a tac20 once with a Siemens soft start that got hit by lighting and found it with the screen blank but it still sent power to the motor non-stop. The oil got so hot the plastic adjustment cover on the I2 valve melted off and toasted the o-rings in the valve, along with burning the oil real bad. Kind of a freak accident, but you never know would will happen when lighting damage is involved.