I do agree that hard wiring or direct soldering is superior that it doesn't come apart (assuming that the solder joint is correct). But "pluged [sic] in backwards" would be more of a problem with direct soldering wouldn't it?

I used to do that about 15 years when I used to race oval. I fried a cheapo Futaba ESC when I wired it backwards. To make it worse, the Futaba ESC didn't even come with a on/off switch, those were usually found on racing-grade ESCs at the time like from Novak and Tekins!

But to get back on topic, depending on the size constraint, I really like the Traxxas plugs due to the grips, however, you can make some grips into the deans by taking a dremel and cutting some ribs into it, not deep enough to expose the contacts, but just enough to get a grip on it.