I have both the Schwalbe and Nokia 294s and I'd tell you that if you are going to ride mostly on dry road with some ice then the Schwalbe are much better. They roll better and are less noisy and much more comfortable of a ride. Of course that's because they are less agressive with smaller knobs and fewer studs. If you're on serious ice for a decent period of time on a regular basis then the Nokia 294's are the ultimate. There are Nokia's with fewer studs that are probably in between the Schwalbe and 294's. My wife rides the Schwalbe because her bike won't take the 294s and she does just fine even on glare ice but there's no question that she has to be just a bit more careful than I do. If I were commuting on busy streets and needed maximum grip for safety I'd also go with 294's without question. It snowed here last night ;0.).