Royal Icing vs. Glaze

About a year ago. I got into cookie decorating and started surfing the web to see how people were decorating theirs.  As I was admiring everyone's beautiful creations, I couldn't help but notice how different  the icing looked on some cookies.  I didn't realize that different decorators used different types of icings.  For instance, Sugarbelle uses Royal Icing (which is how I thought everyone did it), Cookie Crazie uses a corn syrup glaze, and Karen's Cookies uses meringue buttercream.

Though I've never tried the meringue buttercream, I have used both Royal Icing and corn syrup glaze.  Each has it's pros and cons.

Royal Icing

To me, this icing looks the most professional and seems to dry quicker, to a nice, rock hard finish

but, the taste isn't fabulous.  It needs quite a bit of flavoring and a really delicious cookie to sit on!  It is also more expensive to make since I don't like to use raw egg whites and have to purchase meringue powder.   Lastly, it takes a lot more coloring to get deep shades.

Glaze

In my opinion, this icing is very sweet, but tastes so much better!  I also love the way it takes on a rich, vibrant color without having to use too much.

On the down side, it can be hard to get the right consistency.  I've run into problems where it seemed thick enough, but then ends up running off the cookie.  It also takes longer to dry and tends to look a little more translucent.

What's your opinion?