Don't know about the Shimmy Andy but I've got three Emcasts, the first I bought in a 3500 size for barbelling and on the back of that and being impressed with it I then bought two of the 5000 size for my piking.
In all cases they've been pretty bomb proof (and they need to be with me), nice adjustment on the freespool and a nice drag up front, smooth action and a very positive feel that they're well screwed together.
The one slight criticism I have, even though it's caused me no problems, is that the line has a tendency to rest at the furthest point of the bail arm wire before actually settling into the pick up roller but the thicker the line the less of an issue it is and it soon settles into where it should as soon as any tension is put on it.
There are quite a few reviews if you do a quick Google, all that I've read have been very positive.