Regarding model, I have the classic. I did not see the extra options with the other models as being worth the price.

From the side, yellow is quite visible but since you would likely get hit from the rear, the pannier color is less important because from the rear the panniers are black with reflective paint.

I bought one pair at Wiggle dot com and one pair from ProBikeKit dot com. Great prices, but shipping can be slower from europe.