I've put quite a few miles on a Selle SMP Lite 209 saddle, a Selle SMP Extra (the $99 one), and several hundred miles on a Brooks B17.

I thought the B17 was terrible! Hard as a rock, slippery and it seemed to put a ton of pressure on my perineum. The bars on my bikes are lower than the saddle, so I couldn't imagine a scenario where the B17, wouldn't be putting lots of pressure in areas where I didn't want pressure. I happily returned it to Wall Bike for a refund.

I thought the Selle SMP Extra was quite a nice saddle. The graphics tend to start wearing off in short order, but I'm still riding the saddle after 3-4 years of ownership. It definitely concentrates your weight on your sit bones. If you're not used to this, you may find the saddle uncomfortable initially. It also has quite a bit of padding. Enough so that you'll want to stand and pedal a couple of times an hour.

When I upgraded to the Selle SMP Lite 209, I was surprised at how much better it was than the Extra! It has less padding, which I generally find works better on longer rides. Again, there was a period of adjustment due to increased pressure on the sit bones. I don't know that either of the SMP saddles reduces the incidence of saddle-related problems. I've never experienced numbness while riding and didn't experience it with either of the SMP saddles.

My current favorite saddle is none of these, however! It's the ISM Adamo Road. I decided to give it a try after reading several, seemingly independent, articles about the benefits of no-nose saddles. It's the only saddle I've tried where every position was equally comfortable. With the Lite 209 and Extra, riding the bike with my hands on the drops always seemed a bit less comfortable than riding with my hands on the tops of the brake hoods. I could optimize one position of the other, but the setup was always a bit of a compromise. With the Adamo Road, every position on the bike is now equally comfortable! FYI, the Adamo Road puts even more pressure on your sit bones than the Lite 209; they do make saddles with more padding, however.