PVA vs wheat paste, I finally switched sides after 12 years

I've always been a wheat paste loyalist, thought PVA was for beginners who couldn't handle reversibility. Then last week I was rebinding a 1940s atlas for a client in Portland and the wheat paste kept curling the brittle endpapers no matter how thin I spread it. Out of desperation I grabbed a bottle of PVA from my shelf, mixed it 50/50 with water, and the paper laid flat like a dream. The hinge is solid too, no cracking after 50 open and close tests. Anyone else find certain adhesives just work better for specific paper ages, or am I overthinking the chemistry here?

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