Ed Wagner (8/9/2013)
I've seen many debates on CAST versus CONVERT and most center around performance. One comparison goes one way and the next one goes the other way. In the end, it depends on the specific test, but I've found them to pretty-much be a wash. Personally, I use CONVERT, but that just personal preference.
Personally, I'm lazy: in the cases where CAST is good enough, I use CAST because it means less typing. In the case where it isn't, I use CONVERT.
Tom