Having used many different rendering tools, I can say I dropped into Lightwave mainly because of it's workflow - whilst the learning curve is probably steeper than with other 3D apps, once you get to know your way around the tool then it's by far the most versatile and quickest to get the job done.
Whereas, Maya probably has the best renderer (owing to being able to use Mental Ray), the amount you'd need to spend to get this sort of quality puts it far beyond the reach of most mere mortals (unless you happen to own a graphics studio)...
If you're prepared to put in the time and effort to learn the package, LW will probably give you the best bang for your buck.
If you feel happier with pretty icons and a more cluttered interface then MAX would probably be better suited to you.
Whichever package you drop for, I'd say that in the end both LW and Max have pretty lively communities so if you're ever stuck trying to figure out something then you can usually find an answer pretty quickly.
If you need to check out the various packages to see which best suits your needs, visit the vendor's websites. Most of these now have demo or lite versions of the software which will help you get a feel for the workflow.
Which ever package you go for - good luck.
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