DOT rated housings are legal in USA and decent, but not great. ECE are much better for focusing the low and high beam, especially the high-beam. ECE housings are preferable (over DOT) for their better beam focus
That is common "wisdom", but it really is not at all true. Some DOT headlamps are objectively better than some ECE headlamps, and vice versa. Both headlamp specifications (regulations) allow for headlight performance that ranges from very good to very bad, and it is just not possible to say one specification is better than the other one. This issue has been discussed at huge length on here numerous times; if you want to see a big mama of a thread on the subject, it's this one (starting at post #15). It goes into a whole lot of highly technical detail, and Daniel Stern chimes in at the top of page 2.
Hella also makes Hella ECE housings, but I never tried them. So I don't know how good they are.
They aren't very good at all, in the size used in a Cherokee. High beam is too high and low beam is weak and too low. But this doesn't mean ECE headlamps are bad, it means this specific headlamp is a "swing and miss".
I think Cibie is just as good (perhaps better).
The Cibie lamp in the 200mm rectangular size (Cherokee size) is better than the Hella.
the ECE low-beam pattern is much kinder to oncoming drivers.
The ECE specification allows less low beam glare than the DOT specification allows, but that doesn't automatically mean it works this way every time when we're looking at actual headlamps. In this case, there's almost no difference in glare on low beam between the Hella DOT and the Cibie ECE, with equal aim.
The ECE high-beam is much better because it's better focused and where I need it.
The high beam pattern from the Cibie 200mm H4 headlamp is well focused, but that doesn't mean ECE high beams are better, it means this specific headlamp has a good high beam.
It's possible to aim headlights very well with ECE housings.
It's equally as easy to aim the Hella DOT headlamp in this size, the Hella ECE headlamp in this size, and the Cibie ECE headlamp in this size.
Cibie makes very good ECE housings
That is generally true.
Make sure you get housings for right hand traffic. That means for driving on right hand side of the road (like we do in North America).
Also very important.
For a good bulb, IMO the Philips XtremeVision +100 is the best there is for stock wattage (stock wiring) and arguably the best even with upgraded wiring. That's my opinion based on research and experience. I have tried Philps XtremeVision Plus +130 and don't like them as well because their color is whiter than I prefer for wet weather, and it's high beam doesn't seem to me any brighter than the +100.
There's a good thread about that here.