Readable to me, and I assume most other Java programmers. Here's an example I recently came across [0]: Option A: static <X, Y, Z> Map<X, Z> transform(Map<

Readable to me, and I assume most other Java programmers. Here's an example I recently came across [0]: Option A: static <X, Y, Z> Map<X, Z> transform(Map<? extends X, ? extends Y> input, Function<Y, Z> function) { return input.keySet().stream() .collect(Collectors.toMap(Function.identity(), key -> function.apply(input.get(key)))); } Option B: static <X, Y, Z> Map<X, Z> transform1(Map<? extends X, ? extends Y> input, Function<Y, Z> function) { Map<X, Z> result = new HashMap<>(); input.forEach((k, v) -> result.put(k, function.apply(v))); return result; } Personally I find Option B more readable. Another example: Option A: protected boolean isCashBasis(CalendarDate effectiveDate) { return priorVatReturns.stream() .filter(r -> r.period.contains(effectiveDate)) .findFirst() .map(r -> r.basis == AccountingBasis.CASH_BASIS) .orElseGet(() -> super.isCashBasis(effectiveDate)); } Option B: protected boolean isCashBasis(CalendarDate effectiveDate) { for (VatReturn r : priorVatReturns) { if (r.period.contains(effectiveDate)) { return r.basis == AccountingBasis.CASH_BASIS; } } return super.isCashBasis(effectiveDate); } Again I would choose Option B, although I suppose Option A isn't too bad. [0] https://stackoverflow.com/a/25905196/76295 https://stackoverflow.com/a/25905196/76295