I don't have experience with Cinema4D, however, I do know that LightWave's modeler is considered one of the best in the industry.

On a personal note, I haven't found a program that I consider easier to model in than LightWave (and I have used Rhino).

The new patch is coming out in a week or two for LightWave: along with this patch they will be releasing a downloadable demo that people can use to evaluate the product. It's feature limited, but it might give you a better idea.

Also, if you have any questions about modeling in LightWave, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer.