Dueling experts

[JohnV]

In the widely respected Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics in Offshore Yachts, the authors say that a rope topping lift that passes through a sheave at the masthead isn't "seamanlike" for various reasons. They advocate a wire, fixed at the masthead, with a tackle at the bottom to control the boom height.
John Vigor, in How to Sail Around the World, who I suspect was a pretty "seamanlike" guy, recommends just the opposite.
My boat came with the former--a fixed, coated wire with a block at the end--and I'm debating whether to switch to rope in a spare masthead sheave instead.
Anybody got a coin to flip? Or a viewpoint they'd like to share? There always seem to be multiple "seamanlike" ways to rig for a given purpose. Is that the case here?
John V.