I did some cherry picking:
Yes
I had one electrician tell me he didn't like stranded in panels because he couldn't bend the wires to lay them in real neatly. Tell me again, "Why is this on my list of concerns?"
20 years ago I was asking and the answer I got was: "1/2 rsc beaks at the threads much easier than 3/4 rsc. These outfits tended to use rsc in process areas, and EMT in non-process (office areas). Now most of these have gone to MC-HL. That gets rid of a truckload of issues with ground frost heaving and UG conduit/conductor failures.
I've had plenty fail underground in rsc - but not when pulling. The conduits eventually fill with water and when it freezes, the freeeze plugs stretch the wire until it fails. Anecdotal information:
Happens more to solid than to stranded. Happens rarely to conductors #8 and larger.
I guess if one knew that all circuits were loaded to the max and were >100', then a #10 spec would be fine. But what about the control condctors - #10 solid in a control cabinet or MCC.
ice
i've seldom ran control wires in underground conduits, so the freezing
thing is news to me. i've also stayed away from areas where my wires
and my ass might freeze.
don't even *type* #10 solid control wires, someone might google search
it, and this sort of idea is not one we want to spread, is it?
and as a rule, i don't generally use anything smaller than #14 thhn stranded
for controls, for the obvious reasons, but it does get used, a lot.
as for panels looking good with stranded, they look far better than
they do with solid, if you know how to lace them up properly.
i've got some photos of old control panels still in use at LADWP,
where their is a 2" conduit, with #12 tinned braided control wire
from 90 years ago in it, and the stuff comes out of the conduit in
a perfectly square array, say 8 x 10 wires, and they all are perfectly
straight, and concentrically bent, and peel off the bundle at the
terminals they go to, without crossing. it's flat freaking amazing.
i have no idea how long it took to do it. it's mind boggling, however...
int looks like it was done by an Instrumentation pipe fitter....
and the control panel is glossy black, and looks like corian, with the
meters all mortised in, looks like it was done with chisels, perfectly
inletted.....
of course, the panel is 1/2" 100% asbestos, polished. no drilling or cutting
allowed... at least not anymore....