How does the V12 finish durability compare to the old acrylic?

[Sage]

The V12 finish has been around for quite awhile now, long enough for people to have a good idea of how well it wears. I've got no experience with it, myself; all my PRS guitars predate the switch to V12, and are finished in acrylic urethane. My understanding is that V12 was formulated to be applied in thinner coats than the acrylic. Since I'm once again looking into a Private Stock order, I'm wondering what people think of the V12 finish's durability compared to its predecessor. I've heard a few horror stories about flaking and cracking on the V12 finishes. I've also heard it can't be spot-repaired (whereas acrylic can be, as my 2008 Custom 24 can attest).

Can anybody comment on the differences between these two finishes? I've got no interest in nitro, so let's leave nitro out of this discussion if y'all don't mind.

 

[Dancing Frog]

Half of my PS is V12, and the other half is something else. I have had several with V12 and had no problems and have been playing the PS pretty hard. It seems to be at least as damage resistant when applied properly as the polyurethane acrylic. They had a couple of cross cut scraps finished at the PRS Experience when V12 was first introduced, and it was pretty obvious that it was very thin. In fact, the only finish problems that I have had were with the poly. I had a neck shrink a little bit, and it popped a piece off. Poly is a bit stiffer.

 

[László]

I've had the exact same results with poly and V12.

My preference on a PS, however, is nitro. I have four nitro finished ones, and they're awesome, but you did mention you don't like nitro, so I'm not gonna push it.