I've used both over the years. I was never really satisfied with the old dynamos because I really didn't think they were bright enough and the old dyno hubs were heavy. I now have a new generation SON and the thing only weighs 270 grams more than a regular front hub ... and I've combined it with an Supernova E3 triple that puts out 650 lumens. I leave it on all the time for visibility, sort like motorcycles do with their headlights. I rode it the other day when there were flash flood warnings and one inch an hour rain (fun, fun, fun ... people at work were all saying: you didn't ride today did you?) and while my Garmin 705 took some water (it recovered after I dried it out) the light worked flawlessly. The other advantage of the dynamo is if I forget to charge the mobile phone, the GPS, or my camera batteries I can charge them off the dynamo (with an inverter), particularly useful when on tour. Of course the whole thing cost more than many complete bikes, but what I save by not having a car allows me to splurge on the bike.