HI,
Just fitted them today and they certainly don't need as much slam as the other new ones that I bought from a well known Ebay Escort source months ago.
I noticed that the these new ones have the crushable foam rubber tube which is not as big in diameter compared to the others I bought and these new ones have small holes every so often which helps in my opinion if any air is trapped it should not be like pushing against a balloon if you get the drift etc. (They still seal all round when looking from inside the car even though slightly smaller crushable seal part etc).
My doors on my Mk1 shut with still a little extra effort than being A1 perfect but certainly not as much as before and im pretty sure that when they settle in to shape, they will be even easier to close through time.
All in, I would recommend them and I think I will order another set for my other Mk1 escort, especially at that price.