I ended up going with the brightest ones Sylvania makes, the Ultras. Wow what a huge improvement over my old OE bulbs! I realize that they don't actually see farther than OE bulbs in lo-beam because distance is determined more by the size and shape of the lamp’s reflector or lens than by the bulb. But they are way brighter, which is precisely what I wanted. I'd rather leave distance to my hi-beams because I don't want to be "that guy" who gets flashed by oncoming traffic for blinding people to death just with low-beams. The spread to the sides is also a little better. The only downside is that these bulbs only last around 14-24 months years max but I'm ok with that considering the OE bulbs just plain suck to begin with and get even worse from degradation during their longer lifespan and I kinda like not having to peel my fingers off of the steering wheel once i arrive.
In case anyone's wondering why I'm so fixated on low beam brightness, it's because I drive a country highway to work and in the winter it's dark both to and from there. When the road is snowy it really messes with my ability to clearly see the edges of the road if I have crappy low beams, and there's a fair bit of oncoming traffic so I can't keep my hi-beams on for more than a couple minutes at a time. At 47 years old my night vision has gone to **** as well.
So yeah, basically I'm getting old, can't see as well at night and I'm a-scared but not anymore. lol