Springs arrived yesterday afternoon - just under two weeks from order to arrival from France. Came in a hand-addressed manila envelope, so I guess it's a real small shop. Anyway, install took two minutes and was five simple steps:
1. Open hatch (duh)
2. Twist spring container to remove the full assembly
3. Pull off dust cap and rubber gasket from OEM spring
4. Transfer over to OpenTop springs
5. Line up OpenTop springs with slots in hatch and twist to lock in place
Here are some photos from the install, showing the OEM vs OpenTop for comparison of how much beefier the aftermarket pieces are:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zs1SK9U4towq5puJ8
Initial impressions - Good: springs are obviously way stronger and the assembly itself looks well made. No burrs or deformed plastic parts.
Price - Fair: ~$70 for a little pair of springs seems high, but a chunk of that is international shipping and they're the only ones with a solution for the weak OEM units.
Functionality - Great: these are STRONG. Didn't even remove the OEM hatch weight and these don't so much "pop" the hatch as the "bang" it open.
Verdict - Recommended: they work like a charm and the thickness of the springs lead me to believe they won't fatigue like the OEM pieces. If you're tired of trying playing MacGyver to find ways of fixing the stubborn release button, this is easily worth it.