I have had the nodal ninja and the RRS Ultimate-Pro Omni-Pivot Package. After using both for a year, I sold the nodal ninja and went with RRS. I am like you in that I like to shoot mosaic panoramics from wide angle and telephoto lenses. I shoot with lenses ranging from 15mm to 400mm. With the nodal ninja, the detents were nice when you were shooting in a normal range lens...say between 24mm and 70mm. When I put a longer lens on, there were two problems: One, the Nodal Ninja wasn't strong enough to hold the camera and lens in place without some bending or leaning. Two, the detents were too large and I couldn't stop between them to take photos. It was very frustrating.
I have been using the RRS exclusively for years and I don't mind the lack of detents.
As for the difference between the PG-02 and the original version...The new version shares panning clamps with their new gimble equipment. This means that with some extra gear, you can use your panoramic setup as a gimble setup...perhaps for bird photography. I do bird photography as well, and I wish that I had their newer version. If I were to purchase it today, I would get the PG-02. It also looks a bit more compact.