I like the Thill waggler style in the first pic if I'm fishing close and the water is relatively calm. Great for detecting lift bites. I prefer the ones with the hook and rubber tubing over the old style ones with the hole in the bottom of the post. Changing sizes was a pain in the butt since it required a retie.
For making longer casts or rougher water, I like the pear floats with a long post on the top. They're just easier for me to see.
For night fishing, I prefer the Thill pear floats with the post that's just a little nub. They're great for mounting a glow stick with clear plastic tubing. A 4.5mm diameter glow stick goes perfect on top and you can see it from all sides. Best of all, they're cheap compared to the other lighted floats out there. The glow sticks cost less than a quarter if you buy them in bulk on eBay. The glow sticks come with the connector and everything.
