Stevan opined
"So what? Remember that all the Japanese derailleurs shifted their best only when new. Performance then degraded AND they were impossible to rebuild so you got to buy a new one in about a year. "
I dunno what derailleurs you're referring to Stevan, but I have thousands and thousands of miles on a first generation Suntour Cyclone I bought new in about 1975, that I raced on, and now use occasionally on my old race bike. It still shifts about as well as it did when new, which is to say, better than any Campagnolo friction derailleur ever made. And my Suntour V-GT Luxe has been abused way beyond what any derailleur should have to endure (three winters in Alaska, used nearly every day, often in two or more feet of new powder...I used my feet as stabilizers as I coasted down the gravel hill to work... ;> ), and until I removed it from my old Falcon, it worked perfectly.
So you might want to rethink your statement above. My experience says it's wrong.
Charles "Campy's sexier, Suntour works better" Andrews SoCal