Gooey STS-HSR and dyneema standing rigging on an Aphrodite 101

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
It is Saturday as I write this, and New England Ropes is closed, but I am going to go out on a limb here and say that they are going to make this right. My experience with them is that they are obsessively obliging about customer service. I don't know who you've been dealing with, but I'm going to assume some foulup, not ill intent. I'll report back after calling them on Monday.
Regarding your other points, yes, of course there is constructional set in HSR, as there is in every rope (and wire, for that matter), and it requires the sort of arduous fussiness you describe to deal with. That's just the nature of the beast, though you might want to invest in a beefier come-along...
The HSR weighs less than a quarter of what the rod weighs, which can be significant, of course, and hank wear can be eliminated by a variety of means (I'll get some pictures up here soon).
That leaves price. Did you include the cost of rod heading in your figures? Even if the HSR is costlier, the cost/benefit might make it worth it.
We still rig boats with both materials, as well as wire. They are different tools, each with advantages and disadvantages.
Fair leads,
Brion