I like rsync. I can see what files will be deleted first. But what happens if during the backup, a sector of the source disk fails? Files could be deleted from the destination that should not be. However, if I check the log file for all deletion files first, then use the log file as instructions to rsync, then a source disk failure during backup should result in a lower probability of data loss.
I've read the man page and have to conclude that the answer is no. If not rsync, then what?