To me a machine that was built to be in a public place looks better with a little wear & tear on it from years of being enjoyed. Not totally trashed, not a playfield worn to the wood in places the needs a good cleaning and shop job but stuff like a little paint wear around flippers or a few high scores carved into the side of the cabinet etc.
If you have a million dollar house with a high end gameroom then HEP machines likely make more sense for you. But I don't mind machines showing a little "road rash" in our collection.
With that said I don't like big chunks out of cabinets, bent up coin doors, lots of planking or sun fade etc. But my machines don't need to be perfect either. If a machine has a nice backglass, looks good from the front, and doesn't have a ton of playfield wear they are perfect to me.
These is a fine line between a machine that has been abused & trashed and a machine showing a little wear from being played in public places for years. I think that line varies for each collector