Use multiple directories or one file that says it all

SE preference?

[adb64]

Hello all,

I'm using a rewriterule for my widget pages. Currently I use directories to identify the widgettype, but would it be better, from an SEO point of view, to use a filename.

Currently I have this:

www.mysite.com/widgetname/widgetsize/widgetcolor

to be rewritten into:

www.mysite.com/showwidget.php?name=widgetname&size=widgetsize&color=widgetcolor

Now I'm thinking of changing the exposed URL into:

www.mysite.com/widgetname-widgetsize-widgetcolor.html

which has to be rewritten into the same line stated above and put a 301 on the directory URLs, to be replaced later on by a 404 when SEs have indexed the new pages.
Do SEs like the latter, one-file URL better than the first one or is there no difference in the number of directory levels used?
What's your opinion on this?

Thanks
Arjan

[adb64]

Is there somebody out there with an opinion on this subject?

[kurtpdx]

I'm under the impression that the further down the directory tree a file is, the less weight it's given by the search engines.. so I'd lean towards using 1 sub-directory with all the details over multiple sub-directories where the weight may dissipate.

[kurtpdx]

I should add that this doesn't take into account deep links to the sub-directories. I have a site where a sub-sub-directory is a PR 7 while the main page is a PR 6.