Lugs are always better than non-lugs IMHO. Ask any hipster -even they know this.
It's too bad that due to labor issues, and cost-cutting at the Nottingham factory, that the lugwork in the post 1970-ish bikes got sort of gnarly, as well as the paint finish on the frames. These frames are just as good physically IMHO -but the cosmetics of the lugs and finish did suffer during the bike boom all the way up to the time where they gave up trying to compete and pulled the plug on the E3S built in England.