I'm a Metz 45 hammerhead fan myself. Always have been.
I have several of them. I've used them on all of my film cameras including my Bronicas and even on my D200 and Fuji S5 pro. If you need to get the shot then they are bullet proof when used as the main light source or fill in daylight but for most people these days, they're just far too bulky and impractical compared to a speedlight so for general/photojournalistic use a decent basic speedlight would suffice..
However, if you are into people/portrait photography and can cope with the size then the Metz 45 if properly used still really does take some beating.. .