I just came across this interesting page talking about level shifters/how they work and how they relate to digital LEDS. If you scroll about 1/2 way down they talk about what shifters to use what ones to avoid and the reasons why. This may be helpful for some 
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Yah, I’ve run across that article before and it’s well laid out with a detailed explanation of the issues.
One little detail they do gloss over is the fact that pretty much any thing in the 74HCTxxx/74AHCTxxx family can drive LEDs as level shifters (as long as the “Logic works out” - don’t bother with FlipFlops).
A favorite of mine is the 74AHCT32, a quad OR gate which is largely drop in compatible with the 74AHCT125 (as long as your OE lines are grounded.
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