It's kinda like cars.
There will be guys rebuilding/maintaining things like '69 Impalas, Mustangs, etc. and saying they were the best cars ever built, period. And they'll get you where you need to go.
But those same guys will be driving modern cars, possibly even electric powered cars, when they need to go to work, or to get groceries, or what ever. That's because burning a lot of gas to get horsepower that never gets used is pretty dumb.
HID lights will grow weed, but they will cost you a lot on your electric bill. They have low front end costs because they've been around a long time. The factories are built, the design is set, most if not all research has been done. They're about as good as they can get.
LEDs are still getting better. They have a higher up front costs, but over a 25,000 hour lifespan, they'll pay for themselves. And everyone who use them for weed seem pretty happy.
A '69 Impala is as good as it's ever going to get. Modern cars are getting better and more efficient every year.
You used to rant about how ppfd ratings for LEDs were all lies, and everything that comes out of the mouths of manufacturers was literal shit. But you never gave any details, so it's pretty hard to take you seriously.
As to someone figuring out plasma generators, so efficiency won't matter, that's just idealist fantasy. Whether they figure them out or not you're still going to pay for electricity, one way or another.