I did say stranded is fine - my point was that patch cables don't need to be solid copper of thick gauge like the main run if it makes it difficult to route that last small leg.
This is a good example of where terminology can get us all confused.
In this discussion, the word "solid" is being used for two meanings, and that's confusing.
In some places, we're using "solid copper" to mean "pure", or "not plated", as in: "Not copper clad aluminim".
Then, in other places, we're thinking of "solid" as meaning "not stranded".
I don't think there is any problem with good quality pure-copper stranded wire. As long as the connectors are the correct type for stranded wire, and installed properly, and the stranded wire is of sufficient gauge, there's no reason you couldn't use it even for long POE cable runs.
And as you point out above, short patch cables won't have too much effect on the total resistance of a run even if they're made of lighter-gauge cable.
And further, as you point out, it is good to keep mechanical stress off of the connectors, so a more flexible patch cable may well improve the reliability of a system if it reduces the stresses on the connections.
Just be sure, for POE systems, that the patch cables are rated for the POE current of the circuit. Some of the thin, super-flexible patch cables will overheat, especially right at the connectors, when used with high-power POE loads.
I'm sure you understand this all, but for the sake of others stumbling onto this thread, I'm just trying to clarify some of this.
A fine point of any wiring is the difference between a voltage drop issue and an overheating issue. Both of these issues need to be carefully considered.
You can have a system where the wire and connections are all safe from an overheating perspective, yet create too much voltage drop, and end up causing unreliable operation. This can happen when the cable run is too long even though the gauge is large enough to not overheat.
You can also have a situation where the voltage drop is acceptable, yet the wire or connections will overheat. This can happen when the wire gauge is too light, or the connections are poor, yet the run is short enough that the voltage drops in these connections and short cables are not enough to adversely affect the voltage at the load.
And, of course, you can have all sorts of combinations of these issues.
People need to consider all of these points and make sure that every connection and cable in their systems is safe at the current it will be required to carry. And they must also consider the total resistance of each complete circuit to be sure they don't end up with too much voltage loss.