Being in the rod building business I have a couple of preferences. I personally like roller guides over standard guides. Some of the testing we have done shows that they are slightly smoother and have a little less friction than regular guides. Regular guides, which are typically aluminum oxide, are subject to varying friction due to moisture or temperature differences. The differences are slight but may make all of the difference in the world when a king smashes that dipsy rig! No matter what reel you use, the guides play a major part in the net effective drag that the fish is pulling against. That being said, we still make a ton of wire rods with regular guides that stand up to years and years of abuse.
My other preference is to use twilly tips, even over roller tip-tops. When stowing or rigging, they always act as a little shock absorber, help keep the wire tight and minimize potential kinks.
I use 7 foot roller rods on my boat, they are much easier to handle and are much more easier for landing fish. You can land fish a lot quicker and with less effort with the short rods. Would you rather hold a 10 pound weight at the end of a 10 foot pole or a 7 foot pole? I know my wife, kids, (and me) would pick the shorter one every time!