I feel that many of the top-rated name-brands will perform equally well for me. I choose based on price, unless ratings show some glaring issues or distinctive disadvantages for what I need it for.
I'm torn between these and the Blizzaks for my new-to-me Legacy. The Blizzak WS70s were good on my old Subaru STI and the WS80s have been great on our Forester so far.
With that said, adding a set of Conti Extreme Winter Contacts to our soon-to-be sold Civic was a game changer. Any car can be safe and manageable in the winter conditions I experience in CT and MA, so long as I drive appropriately, have enough tread left (> ~5-6/32"), and that tread isn't a summer pattern and compound. What winter tires afforded me was the ability to outbrake just about everyone else on the road and maneuver out of he way of someone who can't stop as well as I can; this has admittedly only been an issue a handful of times for me.