Personally I use both LW & Phex. I find I can often connect to a broader range of the gnutella network with Phex because it connects to many more of the 'other' gnutella client programs whereas LW mostly only connects to other LW users. Thus, if seeking rare or difficult to find material I will often revert to Phex.

Bittorrent is another option. I keep all these options alive. But I do not use LW for torrents. I use Vuse.

When I use LW I try to browse host with similar material as I am seeking. Sometimes that in itself can lead to material I am seeking or help in later searches by connecting across a different spectrum of ultrapeers.