You may have noticed that these are at the expensive end of the price range for ice traction solutions. However, they are extremely durable and very effective. I purchased these for a trip to Pictured Rock National Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in January. I was with a group of four people, and each of us had purchased different brands. The other three all had things that were the type that look like crampons (big triangular steel cleats sticking out of the bottom). While all of theirs look more impressive, we did a test walking up steep ice near a frozen waterfall, and found that the Stabilicers maintained traction at a much steeper angle than any of the other brands. These may not look as gnarly as your other options, but they are well engineered and they will perform.