I smack them hard. I still use my trusty old Clear Blue Stren. I never tried braid.
I've used both the #2 gold and the #2 sickles. I don't really notice much difference between them.

On a side note I've been doing very good on all the different jigs I've gotten from NP, not just the chinspins. I was casting jigs with brush guards too and I even trolled for a bit the other day with some jigs with #4 sickles and plastic Y guards. Had good success on all of them. Considering where I was using them, I really didn't loose that many.

The one thing I like the best about Herb's jig are you can order them anyway you want them. I kid about my fishing partner taking my jigs but he is so impressed with the fact that I can order any weight of jig with any hook or spinner blade in any configuration that I may want.

If any of you guys are bluegill fishermen NP makes some killer jigs for gill too. I had a few of his plain gill jigs I tipped with a wax worm and crushed the gills one day last year. Another day I had some hand tied jigs and they were great. The water was pretty clear that and I didn't feel like messing with bait. It surprised me but I even caught a half dozen or so crappie on those jigs up on those bluegill beds.