A Shimano hub of the same vintage and price range is a nicer hub. The reason I'm so biased against the Normandy hub is that I was a shop mechanic from 1978-1984, and I saw more Normandy hubs than any other. Not only that, I had to overhaul a huge lot of them in the winter of 1980-1981 when my boss had a special rate on complete overhauls where I would repack hubs, headset, and crankset, do brakes and gears and true wheels, all for $35. And we stored the bike for the winter. It was like giving away the store, but it brought customers in. Anyway, I was intimately familiar with Normandy/Atom hubs. I didn't hate them, but I saw how nearly all other hubs were better. The bad dishing problem is a bad aspect of them. Campagnolo hubs of the same dimensions didn't break or bend as many axles. Even the cheap Shimano hubs didn't, either.