Can’t speak to anything but the neo pipes. They are not unbreakable. They won’t shatter and cut your hand, but components can and will crack. I’ve had to replace the bracket that holds the pipes in place, as well as the filter for the intake over the course of the past year.

When they’re clean, they’re really very aesthetically pleasing.

The biggest downside is the one you mention — they get gunked up and need to be cleaned regularly. I’ve been considering switching to SS.

 

I haven't used neos or SS but have used glass. They don't get stained but will get covered in algae fairly quickly, for me at least. While they do look nice when clean they didn't stay clean long, and I felt didn't provide enough flow for my tank. Luckily they never broke on me but it was always a stressful time cleaning them!

Mine were Jardli brand.

I've gone back to the spray bar that came with the eheim. The green doesn't show algae as much and blends in nicely with the green plants.

 

I currently use both lilly pipes and stainless steel pipes. It doesn't take all that much to clean the glass pipes depending on your setup. My only suggestion is to understand what kind of flow you want and then look at your esthetic.