if you want the stock messaging app, stock launcher, stock dialer, stock e-mail app, stock camera, DLNA, HDMI output, stock gallery, you should stick with a blurred ROM.
you really have to check them out for yourself. i would try out liberty 1.5 since that seems to be the blurless ROM of choice around here (even tho i had issues with it) and Apex 1.4.1 (which i am running now) and see if you like one better than the other.
blurless does seem to be a little faster, but Blur ROMs have always gotten much better battery life for me and they always work better for me.