I think it's more a matter of personal preference, but as many have noted, it is more important on curved edges on a quilt. I actually have bias tape tools, but haven't used them yet. They would probably make the making of the bias binding a lot easier, but I do use bias when joining straight binding, as it is less bulky. I too was told that bias binding tends to wear better, but I can't say for sure, guess I'll have to see my son's quilt that I made him when he was about 12 and he's 36 now, as that quilt has been washed a lot over the years - gone to the beach, etc.