Comment by adrian_b

You have to figure the correct options only once, then you should use forever the same alias or script for copying.

For instance, I always use this:

  ALIAS='/usr/bin/rsync --archive --xattrs --acls --hard-links --progress --rsh="ssh -p PORT -l USER"'

The default options of scp, like also those of cp or of any other UNIX copying program are bad, as they do not make exact copies.

In decades of working with computers, I have never wanted to make any other kind of copies except exact copies, so I never use the default options of cp, scp, rsync etc., but I always use the same aliases for them, with the options needed for exact copies.