I would say that the 5100P is definitely at least twice as superior as the 5500P. I cannot comment on the complexity of making the pagoda case compared to the manta ray. Based on this I would say that a 5100P at two thirds of a price higher than the 5500P would seem a good buy. Saying that, for that amount of money, one should seriously consider a 3970P or even the new 5170P!!