At a jumble in Lancashire I came across two cycle frames on adjacent tables. A Mercian in original finish with varnish fix decals. Very nice. Next door was a Hill Special with some vinyls that I had made specially for Robin Hatherall. Beautifully refinished (by Chris Marshall as I remember). The varnish fix decals on the Mercian felt MORE proud of the paint finish than those on the Hill Special. You could feel the "edge" of them a lot more and they looked that way to the eye as well. Conclusion - vinyls can be nigh on as good as old varnish fix provided they are well-made and carefully used.