If everything is right, they are better gaskets. They way they seal is better. But, you can’t have a rough surface and they need to be retorqued. Plus, you can get them with about any bore size and any thickness you need. That’s a big deal IF you want to keep crevice volumes down and IF you think compression matters (spoiler alert: I think it matters…a lot).
Ah, crevice volumes. I wondered about that when I put my 273 together and used generic small block gaskets with a big hole. Oh well, 9.68/1 is fine for a cruiser. A race motor? I would have done something different.