I am on my third set of EXO Grapplers and I like them. If your looking for a dedicated Winter tire, I think one of the best is Nokian Hakkapeliitta 9. If your on ice packed roads all the time, you cant beat these tires. An aggressive All Terrains can be a good compromise, but the best traction on icy roads will be the dedicated snow tires. I have the Cooper SST and it is good as well, the EXO has more sipes than does the Cooper. One set is on a DRW 3500 and the other on a SRW so it is not a direct comparison. All depends on what your doing, if your cutting trail the dedicated snow tires don't have large voids and will plug, but if your staying on the road and deal with snow/ice pack, than go with the dedicated snow tires and swap them out after the season.