I would vote gearless. They are definitely more expensive but they have a simple design, less to fail, more efficient, and smaller motor drive. Assuming you currently have 1:1 roping Hollister whitney, Imperial and torin all offer 1:1 gearless machine applications that would replace your existing geared machine. As mentioned above I would certainly recommend this over the OTIS and Schindler 2:1 mod product simply for the proprietary nature of both the machine and belts.

In my opinion the Hollister whitney gearless machine would be the best although I have also had good experience with the Torn product too. The one job we used Imperial all the seals were leaking on the machines before the job was even turned over. While the Hollister may be more expensive they are made in the USA while Torin and Imperial are made in China.