drmfunky, you will find a wide range of tires to suit whatever your perceived need. There are premium tires with no, little, some, plenty, or overkill armor, with the tire compound also getting stiffer as the armor goes up. There are also cheap tires in most of the same choices (maybe not the heaviest armor). You will have these choices from every major brand.

For example just from Conti's top roadie line you have
Grand Prix TT with no armor
Grand Prix 4000 SII with a little armor
Grand Prix 4 Season with more armor
Gatorskin with plenty of armor
Gator Hardshell with overkill armor

And this is just standard roadie tires not counting niches like tubeless or touring or gravel

Rolling resistance and armor go up at the same time, it makes the tire slower. Cheaper tires are also slower because they have fewer but bigger cords in the carcass and cheaper/less fancy rubber compounds, making them stiffer; and may have wire beads that make them heavier.