They work on the same idea that the Polynesians discovered thousands of years ago then Japanese technology got hold of it. Where have we heard that before? Essentially the hooks rolls in the fishes mouth until the fish bolts then rotates into the corner of the mouth which makes it self hooking and no need to strike. If you use nylon and fish at range all striking tends to do is take up the stretch this is the fault found in the "running" rig. Better to have a fixed trace so the fish pulls against the wires in the lead, this appears to be enough resistance to set the hook without striking. The other differences are cost usually based on the quality of and thickness of metal used,design/research, how sharp they are, durabilty and the length of the shank. Longline hooks are designed to be put once through the bait and have the bait hanging from it. This would not work on the beach so a slightly longer shank that allows the bait to be secured to the shank works (casts) better and prevents the bait coming off in flight. My favourite are Owner SSW Circles in sizes 4/0 to 6/0. I no longer sell them but it was great to meet the head guys of the company in the States last year an amazing insight into a top product! Their Cutting Point are pretty good to if you do need to strike but thats another "tech head" story!