I have some dura ace and one ultegra group but am mostly SRAM these days. I had found dura ace shifters to be more durable, the jockey pulleys sealed ball bearings, smoother hub bearings, the brakes feel slightly more linear and positive, and the overall finish is nicer. The Ultegra front derailleur is better than anything SRAM has ever made, so, it is all relative. I had one set of Ultegra shifters go belly up and I have a set right now that are giving me concern. I used to ride over 10,000 miles per year in all kinds of weather and it was affordable. I doubt anyone could find functional fault with Ultegra. It works great.