[HAM] why are tonewheels superior?

[Phil Glatz]

A neighbor was giving away an 8200 Aurora, and my first thought was 
"no tonewheels".  This got me thinking - in theory, which should 
electromechanical versus purely electronic generation make a 
difference?  The tonewheels generate sinusoidal waves, which are free 
of harmonics and as pure as you can get.  Seems like a sine wave of 
any form would work as well.

I'm guessing the poor reputation of the later organs is due to many 
other factors (solid state vs tube, laxer quality control, quality of 
other components).

Just pondering.