I love the look and the aesthetic of metal fenders. If I were putting fenders on a nice custom rig that didn't get thoroughly abused, I'd go with a hammered metal for sure. But my commuter/town bike (cross-check) is a workhorse that get's a lot of miles and abused. I've been nothing but pleased with Planet Bike Cascadia's. Yeah they're plastic, but they don't dent or bend, they work perfectly and have help up for 7 years in year round Minneapolis weather without replacement or any issues. There are other brands of plastic that are comparable I'm sure but I haven't needed to try them as these are still going strong. Do they look as good as the nice metal ones? Oh hell no, but that's isn't what I'm going for with the commuter.