Why using ABS? (difficult to print, stinky...)

[djprinter]

Less brittle than what ? we would need a unit of measure here for brittleness...

Higher melt point than what ? Proto Pasta High temp carbon PLA, once over treated, has a theoretical Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT) of more than 140C.
Printed ABS is lower than this.

Smoother and more naturally lubricated ? than what ? I believe Nylon is better. Would need specs here.

Let's try to put some numbers behind our claims. Or else it's just a wasted discussion.

This started as an ABS vs. PLA thread, so the "compared to what" is implied.

Every filament has upsides and downsides: carbon PLA is expensive and will put a lot of extra wear on your nozzles, Nylon requires a lot of heat and is a pain to keep dry.

As others have stated, you use the right tool for the job at hand.