Replacing Sea Rig Hardware with Swages or Compression Fittings

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
First, there is nothing inherently "more reliable" about a swage. Far from it. Whatever terminals you go with, just make sure they are assembled correctly.
As for value, the cost difference is typically a wash once you change out the rigging a second time. This assumes we are talking about rotary swages (I definitely unrecommend Kearney"s), and that you get a fair price on the compression terminals.
If you don't plan to sail South, don't bother with compression terminals. If you do, in addition to the long-term cost savings of Sta-Lok and similar, you get inspectability, invertability, and the ability to put everything together yourself.
So, what kind of swaging machine are we talking about? Whose wire? What is a recent batch test of ultimate strength? What does a recent metallurgical report say? If your rigger can't or won't answer all these questions, there might be reason to look elsewhere, regardless of terminal type.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss