Never get rid of a gun unless it is unreliable - you will regret it down the road.
That being said, I own the following Smith's and Tauri; S&W 317 Kit Gun, 637, 640, 66, Taurus 627, Taurus Mil Pro PT145, Taurus PT22.
The Smith 66 and 640 were pre-agreements and did not need any trigger work as they were very smooth and nice to begin with. The 637 needed some help but now feels great. The 317 went back to the factory twice for cylinder chamber problems and once to the smithy for action work.
When the Taurus 627 first came out, I bought one and had trouble with the cylinder locking up during double taps. Never could work out the issue and got rid of it. A few years later, the bug got into me again to buy one because of the size, weight and capacity. Second time around, there have been no issues and the stock trigger is better than any new stock S&W that I have tried off the shelf (i.e. 637, 317) (I bet if you dry fire the Taurus versus the Smith, side by side, you will like the Taurus better). The 145 and PT22 have been flawless as well.
I almost got the Taurus 85UL instead of the 637 but I could not pass up on the deal on the Smith for $327 versus $300 for the Taurus (plus I already had J frame grips laying around).
Bottom line, I think either choice you will come out fine. Just go with the one that appeals more to you whether that be $'s or looks or both. I agree that a .357 will be a bit much in the UL. Shooting .357's in my all steel 640 are not that much fun but doable. In a lighter gun.......
Ric,
What are you doing to have your 145 smoothed up and who is doing it?