I have an Icom A-6 and a couple of Yaesu.
How will you use the radio? Will you use it often and become familiar with the menu systems or will it be something you forget how to use and have to relearn under stress? Will you fly in Class G/E and have only Unicom use or will you be in congested airspace and need to change frequencies quickly and accurately?
Will you want to pre-program a lot of frequencies? If so, maybe you want one with a cable and software to load it from your computer.
I think one should imagine the worst possible scenario and get a radio that best supports it.
So, dark and rainy night, lot's of radio traffic, complicated airspace. Sure, you want to talk to ATC and just get on the ground, but it is no time and place to forget how to replace the batteries, tune in the dark and enter new frequencies.
My experience, and I'm a ham radio operator as well, is that I can't remember how to change between bands and how to get the right station in quickly and unerringly without devoting a lot of my attention to that task, and I'll be busy flying the airplane.
My own preference is something very simple, with big buttons and knobs, that can be operted with one hand in poor visibility. Not the Icom or the Yaesu I have. I'd investigate the Sporty's model if I were to start over.