Hey Ryan,
Actually, the luddite comment wasn't directed at anyone in particular...just the general peanut gallery. I can't find the article right now, but I read a nice discussion of soldering vs crimping that was I think referenced from this forum. Good soldering is almost as good as good crimping but the bottom line was that they were equivalent for strength and resistance to electrical flow. Crimping doesn't fatigue with vibration and you can't get a "cold joint" with a crimping tool. I can't burn my finger on a crimping tool either
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I actually converted to deans because a tech at Castle Creations told me that power pole connectors were the cause of a ESC failure....simply not true in retrospect. I've used powerpoles for connections for pattern planes, large and small helicopters and airplanes and I still use them for my "field connections". I've never had one "come loose" accidentally. They are a little more bulky than bullets but they go together solidly and come apart without a fuss. The design of the powerpole is such that the connection spark occurs on a different part of the connector than the "connection" which results in no connection degradation with use. The current capacity of all the power poles is more than we use, the "amp rating" is related to the wire size that the connectors are designed for. I refer you to the help section of powerwerks.com for more technical info.
I continue to use deans because they are "the community standard" so it's easier to help out a buddy or try something with someone else's equipment if we are all using deans connectors. But I really like powerpoles!
A friend of mine used bullets for a season and didn't like them for various reasons. I use them for motor connections so that I can change a motor without resoldering, but for me they are too hard to connect and disconnect for regular use, and they must constantly be guarded to prevent shorts.
To each his own!
G