mostly I hate getting cold-cocked in the face
That will change my mood for the day.
Smurf is good pretty much anywhere you can use Romex with the flexibility to retrofit different conductors.
Agreed. Whenever I'm doing 'old work' stuff in my house I've fished in smurf (aka ENT in Canada) instead of romex. Not only does it let you add-on easily later, but it covers your butt if you missed something.
I've used TONS of smurf on concrete construction - suspended slab and vertical. IMO, 3/4" is the smallest realistic size you should be using. 1/2" can be okay if used very sparingly or for very short runs. IMO, smurf requires more attention to securing it than it otherwise appears to require.
Running it
through boxes, and/or
not using connectors allows for more 'give' and actually decreases the number of lost pipes. Religious taping of cut ends and boxes helps too. Its the details like this that seperate a good slab from a bad one.
Locally we are allowed to use in anywhere that's concealed - not just concrete. There are some derating conditions when in contact with insulation though.
So, no, I won't raise my hand for this topic.