I have heard and read in some places that early 18c weapons, such as Muskets and ships even, were prized as higher quality than the Rubbish produced for armies in the Napoleonic period.
It seems that Napoleonic armies were not as well equiped as their earlier counterparts.
Speaking for Myself, I think I even like the earlier look of the Queue and tricorn than the shako. The later uniforms don't seem to show the same individual personality of a unit and its commander.
I'm assuming that during the Napoleonic period mass production and the meat grinder, combined with less use of the aristocratic persons fitting out their troops took its toll.