I got these for $20 so for one they were alot cheaper than the HD rods (this is still a budget build lol), I also wanted to keep tie-rod availability open since Indy doesn't tell you which vehicle they got the end from and supposedly the HD ones bind up when at full droop, the range of movement on the end itself is less "supposedly". The shieldz are supposed to help distribute the forces along the rod ends and adjuster and the inside of the shieldz have a stepped down section around the adjuster. This thick shield keeps one end of the tie rod unit from bending and breaking since once it's clamped down it can't really bend much in any direction. Also it will help against them on rocks.
Now I can't say for sure that they work, but the guys on 4x4wire always swore by them, and I got them cheap and they came with a spare set of complete tie rod units. I see the theory in them and thats enough for me lol