Wow!
I don't know how to describe my most recent experience with PE. The last time that I dealt with PE was back in high school which was in 1984. It was hell! All I was trying to do was build a boarding ladder for a 1/72 scale (God's OWN scale!) F-16. It was thick! It was in ten or twenty different pieces, it would NOT hold glue of any sort no matter how many times I washed it in all sorts of washes.
I'd just recently purchased Trumpeter's 1/72 scale (God's OWN scale!) LCVP and it has a PE fret. I was very leary, but decided to to bite anyway...
Lo and behold... The state of the art has changed SO much! It cuts with a not so sharp #11 blade, it holds paint, has details, and any brand of CA will hold it in place.
Alright guys, I'm now sold on PE parts!
-ahill