20+ years ago before we had remedial indexed shifting, campy would shift way better under load and in all conditions than anything coming out of Japan. It lasted forever, and with the exception of their indexed headsets (think brinneling), was insanely good. It felt different and better than the japanese gear of the time, and not by a small margin.
In the last 20 years, it appears the the Japanese have reeled all other bike parts companies in, and have passed them in many key areas.
Sheldon