Ephedrine / Pseudoephedrine are godawful hard on the body. Mixing with other drugs, alcohol, and/or strenuous activity is a bad idea. It doesn't even provide much of a 'boost', just jitteriness, high pulse and high blood pressure.
Caffeine, Guarana, etc are not as bad for you physically, but are just as uncomfortable in high doses. Better boost than E/PSE for working and getting things done.
The RC's are not 'Legal' by any means, it's grey market. Phenethylamines are easily Analogue Act material (the substituted Amphetamines and 2Cx's have been proven illegal a la 2CB, Mephedrone and co. will be proven illegal once Mephedrone kills a couple more people via Cathinone and Methcathinone).
Levo-Meth is a Schedule II substance once it has been extracted from a nasal inhaler, so its not legal (and eating the cotton is horrible for you, really really horrible for you). Propylhexedrine is still Schedule V in some states I believe, charges could be filed for tampering with a medical product for non-medical use, especially if you are trying to use it to get high or sell it to someone to get high.
Phenylephrine? Ha. Worse than Ephedrine.
2-Amino-Indan and other non-Analogue RC's have a better chance of being called 'Legal', though the vagueness of the analogue act makes it a blanket for any substance that becomes a drug of abuse. You can link any substance to any other substance if you go back far enough with chemistry, even if it's a reach, the feds will win if they want (if not analogue act, emergency scheduling is still a favorite tool- BZP as an ex.)
Advice: Get a prescription. Scheduled stimulants are prescribed for attention problems, narcolepsy (some doc's will stretch this to include somnolescense if you have nice tits), that 3rd shift sleep disorder. Modafinil (Provigil) is proven very safe to the body, it is CIII but isn't anywhere near as abusable as Amphetamine, or CIV and CV stimulants like Diethylpropion and Phentermine. It is specifically for people who need a stimulant for energy to work, or for excessive sleepiness and lethargy.
Modafinil is the best 'legal' stimulant. Consult a doctor for really appropriate advice.