Just my opinion - flying Cherokees with manual flaps and Cessnas with electric flaps, I much preferred the manual and that was one thing I liked about the RV-12. When you want 'em, or don't want 'em, you can do it quickly and positively. No waiting. No watching (the flap indicator.) No reliance on yet another system that can go wrong.
I wish the RV-12 flap handle, however, was further forward over the tunnel, instead of sort of buried between the seats. Like it is on the Cherokee. I also, personally, find the lock button hard to actuate - I've noticed this on four different airplanes.
Bob Bogash
N737G