Converted my Cub to Aero-LED a couple of years ago. Very nice for recognition, superior for range, life and amperage, but to my eyes the color makes dormant grass look like it's covered with snow and the taxi light doesn't seem to put as much light on the ground. I like to leave the lights on all the time so for me it came down to lifespan and hassle of changing, the LEDs remain.
During a major avionics upgrade last year I started to put LEDs in the 185. Since I wasn't completely satisfied I did some more research and decided on the LoPresti Boom Beam HID lights. HID doesn't have quite the life of LED but still claims 2,000 hrs. The price and weight difference isn't a deal breaker if you fly at night often, though admittedly I'm a fanatic about lighting.
$700 for LEDs is ludicrous, but once your on that train $1,200 for HID somehow seems palatable. I believe if you are serious about single engine night ops you'll be glad you spent the extra $$$$. I cannot recommend them highly enough, best of both worlds, better penetration than LED, more useable color temp than even GE. FOR MY EYES they are superior in every way. I don't remember the specs but recall they are low amperage so they're probably good for guys running light weight alternators. Friends can identify me from greater than 10 miles and know it's me even if they don't know I'm out flying, they are that much brighter.
If the goal is better daytime recognition the non-certified LEDs are probably the best value, just be aware of the noise that can be introduced into your headset from any of the options. HID wins here too, AERO=very minor noise full time when on, HID=minor noise when first turned on but disappears completely within 10 seconds. Like most things, let the mission dictate the solution, hope this helps a little.
