Looks like Amazon is running low / out of the 9011 and 9012 at the moment.... Searching for "hir 9011" or "hir 9012" only turns up a 1-pack ($21) and a 2-pack ($54).

Filtering things by lightbulb, headlamp, etc gets me this:

As a 2nd or 3rd choice after HIRs, what would you recommend ?

Based on the link you provided and just a little quick reading on the internet,

2nd choice: Philips X-treme Power
3rd choice: Philips Vison Plus

Decline: Crystal Vision looks to be a colored type bulb, which generally doesn't actually improved visibility much if any. -- More for appearance (e.g., Xenon-look).

Decline: Philips Nightguide appears made for the European market. Bulb has different color zones; probably for contrast purposes. Doesn't seem to have much following for U.S. market.

I agree about the colored bulbs - I had already ruled them out ! ;) I had also read fairly good reviews on different Philips bulbs.

What's really disappointing is that the only bulbs seemingly sold "local" are Sylvania and short lifespan of the higher-end Sylvanias seems to be a given. I don't want to replace them every 6-12 months ! That includes Walmart and various auto parts stores (Autozone, Pep Boys, etc). Maybe I'll try the non-big-box parts stores though. I do think that Kmart sells Philips bulbs too.

To be objective, the Sylvania Xtravision bulbs are alright. I used them in my family's Toyota and a friend's Honda CR-V; they were readily available at Walmart, etc. I even found them as the stock OEM bulbs when I went to replace the bulbs with the Philips HIR2 in my 2009 Accord.

Years ago, I bought the original Sylvania Silverstars, the original pair lasted over 2 years. After that, the replacement each lasted from 3 months -12 months. Was no longer cost/beneficial; so, I don't consider them anymore.

Sorry, I was referring to the Silverstars. The Xtravision are the plain-jane, OEM style bulbs that are available everywhere, I think. I probably have those in both of our cars right now. I was looking for, let's just say, "mid-range" bulbs. ;)