After about 7 winters and trying 5 different studded tires, I've settled on the 240 as the best one for me for most of the winter. They're a reasonable compromise for the various conditions I run across but I'm not going to win any races with them.

I saved one Marathon Winter and one Nokian 106 that I use in combination for the beginning/end of winter when I'm mostly worried about ice and minor snowfalls.

Yeah, I've spent a lot on studded tires but I learned a few years ago that one LBS has a buy one/get one free sale on their studded tires at the end of the season (April). This has let me experiment and sell the tires I don't want (in season) for nearly as much as I paid for them.