Re: has any one used a otis Deluxe cleaning kit
I don't understand why your friend would prefer one when a rod is available. I use mine ONLY for field use for the reasons you described. However, in the field I think it is the best option. The last thing I want to do is drag along a cleaning rod when I'm humping through the hills looking for a deer, but the Otis system is super convenient if I have to clean the bore for whatever reason, and adaptable enough to do things a bore snake can't.
I don't think it's necessarily any harder to use an Otis kit. Typically I stand on the t-handle and pull the rifle vertically so that I can use even pressure and maintain better control. You are correct about a jag, unless you get one of the Parker-Hale types that allows you to wrap the patch around the jag shaft. The hardest part for me about the eyelet is remembering how you're supposed to fold and fiddle with the patch so that it's the right size for the caliber you're using.
Murphy being who he is, you never know what's going to happen. Sure a stuck case can ruin the days hunt, which the Otis most likely cannot rectify, but for everything else the Otis works fine, and I think the trade-off is worthwhile compared to dealing with a 4' long rod sticking out of your pack. That being said the rod comes to the cabin with me, the Otis comes on the trail.