I own an HW-19 Jr and an HW19 Mk-1. The former was purchased new and the latter used from a fellow denizen of this forum.So, here are my thoughts;
I have a Möerch UW-4 tone arm on the Mk-1. I've retired but kept the Jr in the event I need a new motor (the Jr has very, very few hours). As far as I can tell, these sound essentially identical and they are very robust.
In other words and with the caveat of not being familiar with the Project, I have no hesitation about recommending the VPI in terms of durability and sound quality.
I suspect you can't go seriously wrong with either of them but VPI seems to hold its value and, as someone has already noted, they're built to "mil-spec" standards. Plus, parts are readily available and there are upgrades galore!