The majority of modern offerings in commercial track systems work well for their intended purpose....to afford model trains enthusiasts to enjoy playing with scale trains in a confined space. Some are better than others in terms of reliability, to be truthful, but people determined to make something work almost always find a way to get the reliability they want.
The best looks, though, that's a problem. Each of us brings their own form of perception and subsequent appreciation for the hobby and what it means for them in the way of enjoyment. At one extreme are the plug, shove, and play train enthusiasts who want a quick fix. At the other extreme are those who will take years to plan out a dream layout, and who will lay their own track by hand in strict fidelity to a given railroad's methods. They'll detail those track elements so well that you'd swear you are looking at photos of the real thing. Turnouts offered commercially run from rather cheap-looking and utilitarian snap switches and on up to the Proto 87 versions and handlaid ones that are improved even beyond what their purveyors envisioned at the time. You can add metal and plastic castings for plates and frogs that look incredibly realistic. Add some weathering compounds, including paints and powders, and you would amaze even yourself.
So, what is your standard? If it is undefined, then I suggest you engage in that process because before you please us, or visitors, or win anyone's approval for your methods and choices, you would want to please yourself. On Sunday morning, before the family is up, and before any guests come by, when you have some time to enjoy the trains all by yourself, will you be most pleased with what you deem to be the best, or with what others tell you is the best?
Just sayin...
