I still happen to think that the style that WH and some of the other vendors sell is the best for keeping the geometry correct, while still gaining some strength advantages without breaking the bank.
We call ours the "3-Way Adjustable" version to describe the change to a 3-piece tie-rod with two short rod ends and a centerlink. As opposed to the short/long side style of the stocker.
WH 3-way adjustable steering linkage
Like some of the other options, if you ever need to replace one, you don't have to buy any more long bars.
The "GM 1-ton" setups, either home-made or as those linked to above are also fully adjustable, have short ends to make replacements less expensive too, and are arguably beefier still. In some areas anyway.
Where I think their weakness lies is in three areas. All having to do with the passenger side tie-rod end:
1. The new rod end puts the draglink farther out, making it longer. On the surface this is a good thing (longer links with shallower angles being an advantage in some cases) but it also puts it out of phase with the now-shorter trackbar for an effectively different angle.
It can be "tuned out" to a point by making sure that your pitman arm and trackbar brackets are made to optimize those angles.
To be sure, most people do not complain about excessive bumpsteer with these setups, but it can be an issue if you're not careful.
2. The orientation of the tapered hole puts the draglink on the vertical side of the tie-rod. This encourages more "tie rod roll" when steering. Can contribute to a slightly more vague feel and accelerates wear and tear on the rod ends.
3. And last, but not least, the design of the rod end is such that it has a necked-down area that becomes a weak link.
This is not a deal-breaker for most street driven rigs, unless you're running larger tires. Say 35's or larger.
But for an off-roader, it's an almost certain guarantee of bending the tie-rod end at that point. I've only heard of a few that have actually broken, but have probably seen 40 or 50 of them that have bent.
A lifetime warranty part from one of the major suppliers may reduce the pain a bit, but it's still a pain to deal with.
Never personally used spherical rod ends myself ("Heims") but they have their good and bad points too. Seen a lot more of them actually break, but it's hard to say if those were really a fault of the design, or just under-sized units to begin with.
The same company Ruff-Stuff mentioned above also makes a Bell-Beefer spherical rod end setup that seems the stuff for sure. Right up there with Bullet Proof (what was the name of the main company?) steering when it comes to that type of end.
I still prefer a tapered stud tie-rod end like the factories use, but they all can work well if made and sized right for the need.
If money is no object and ultimate strength is what you're after, our Clydesdale is hard to beat:
WH Clydesdale
It's similar in geometry to the "1-ton" stuff, but with some improvements in most of the problem areas.
And second to none (that I know of) in the beef department.
Paul