Originally Posted by
veganbikes
The point is it is not snobbery but better cables and housing provide better shifting and braking. You will probably be good yes but you can be better for so little.
Not really. Modern cables are thinner and slicker than cables many old derailleurs expected. Clamping a modern cable on a derailleur from the 70s or earlier can sometimes be iffy. Galvanized cables aren't quite as slick as the modern stuff. I think 1.5mm cables were coming BITD. Now most appear to be 1.2mm. One of the Jagwire options was 1.1mm.