I might chime in here with some more info as to why we went with the H/W system.
For a start its important to note that we wanted a Black Can equivalent, not a silver can. And that's a significant difference in itself.
And we did try a number of 17.5's etc as well.
But the real killer for us, was price. In Aus, trying to buy a 17.5 and ESC (to say nothing of the problem of 'boosted' ESC's that now exist but didnt then) for under $250+ wasn't possible.
The H/W system was around $120 at the time. It was a no-brainer for us. And easily the best decision we EVER made.
However I do agree that it isnt comparable to a Silver Can in any way. If H/W made a lower kv comparable system (say 2200 or something) then it would be brilliant.