We had a thread on tubes here not long ago. My opinion and IIRC the general opinion of the thread was that tubes don't puncture, tires do. Though IME crappy tubes will sometimes split on a seam or the valve will pull out, but that's rare.

IMO the worse the traction of the tire the longer it will wear and the less it will flat. The heavier the carcass, the higher the rolling resistance and the less likely it is to flat. All tires are a compromise. You can't get something for nothing.

Internet reviews are worthless, including the ones in this thread. They're just anecdotes. I've gone months with no flats and then had 3 in a week, same model tire. If you're down to the cords and it flats, well then.

Every user will have their own "sweet spot," the combination of features that suits them best. I've had good luck (!) with GP4000s, Ultremo DD, and Maxxis Re-Fuse.

You'll have fewer flats if, after every ride, you deflate the tires and go around them, squeezing with your thumbs, and picking out the stones and glass bits with the point of a knife. That's true. But don't dig out the casing threads. They're usually white.

I've also had good luck reinflating the tires then going around and forcing black polyurethane caulk into the little cuts that accumulate with the point of a knife. That keeps future glass and stones from lodging in them. I've tried using super glue for that, which works even better, but I think after a time the super glue acts like glass bits and causes flats.