I have Self Tailer Winchers on my
halyard winches and yes, they
work. My
sails aren't very heavy, so I don't need the winches for hoisting them in normal conditions.
The Winchers come in handy when I need both hands on the handle for hoisting something heavier than a sail. But it is necessary to wrap turns on the whole height of the winch (maybe 5 turns), to wedge the
halyard under the Wincher. This is less convenient than a true
self tailing winch, but much cheaper.
Alain