PIC vs Arduino?

[S. Dale Morrey]

Hi Everyone,

I'm working on a project that requires a microcontroller and have
narrowed my needs down to PIC or Arduino.
I was wondering what others have used in the past and what their
experiences have been.

In my case I'm looking at either the arduino uno
http://www.diybin.com/products/DFRobot-DFRduino-UNO.html
Or the Amicus 18 from
http://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductDetails.aspx?Catalog=BuyMicrochip&Category=Starter%20Kits&mid=13&treeid=6

Has anyone used either of this with any degree of success?