I love fenders and I've commuted a few winters with them... an old VO style, 52mm wide. The only time it's a pain is riding in deep fresh snow, but that's still kind of a pain without fenders too. I get a chance to leave my bicycle in a garage so it dries out, I think that helps with the ease of maintenance... they're aluminum and stainless so there's not a huge worry of corrosion. Cracks in metal fenders can be repaired with foil tape or gorilla tape and painted if you care that much (might as well just buy new fenders if you're paying for paint). I enjoy the spring tear down anyway so whatever. I also wear tall riding boots so the wet feet and cuffs aren't a problem... kind of a good idea either way I think.