Delays

After years of playing guitar, these are my only delay units:

• Ibanez Delay/ Echo DE7. I used to own the grey version which was the standard colour for this (discontinued) series. The TONE LOK pedals allow the user to push in the control knobs once they are set. This prevents accidental adjustments while in use. It's a very practical pedal with rather inviting analog tones from the echo function. That limited edition colour is alluding to its more famous cousin, the AD9.
• Ibanez Echo Shifter ES-2. In addition to the bang-for-the-dollar warmth you hear coming from this one, the slider delay time control provides some experimentation on days when you are bored & in need of extra terrestrial intervention. Also, the modulation features on board means you get depth for proto-reverb in case you are in the mood to play Crying Game for your company's melancholic annual dinner & dance.
• BOSS Digital Delay DD3. This is perhaps still the industry standard when it comes to precision delay. Personally, I prefer digital delay over analog responses because I like to hear the exact repetition as opposed to warm decay. I used to play a cousin's DD7 for a while which I had set in one application which the DD3 could handle for less money, of course. 

People around me kept saying that for happening solos, delay is essential. Maybe it sounds appealing to the majority out there but I find delayed signals annoying. I can endure intense, delay-like reverb but the delay unit per se isn't something I embrace. I'm not compelled to follow others anyway.