Tyres are like baby nappies - have you noticed how the new ones are dryer than the old (cheaper) ones - are they saying the old ones were crap ( forgive the pun ) same with bike tyres "our most grippyest yet out performs this or that - so you are saying your old cheaper ones were crap then I went for the metzler ones precisely because they did not last as long as others.
My last front tyre was a Michelin PR3, and i must say that it was great in ALL weathers, and served me well for a long time too. That's important for me as i ride all year round in anything the sky can chuck at me so grip is a massive priority.
I had a PR4 fitted on the rear a few years ago and a week afterwards i got caught out in what i can only describe as a blizzard and as the tyre was brand new, plus i had no history of using that particular model, i really got a bot worried. By the time i got home i looked like a snowman, with about 5 inches of snow compacted above my visor too, but the tyres held up remarkably well in very bad conditions.
A few years before i misread what i was buying (from a company abroad) online and bought a rear Michelin Power 5, but after looking at reviews it made sense to just give it a go as they were all good and i could not be arsed with the thought of sending it back, and it's been fine so no harm done.
And the latest front tyre i got, a Michelin Road 6, took ages at the time to turn up due to being on pre-order and a lack of stock everywhere, but i got a good deal on it and it wasn't urgent so i just waited patiently for it to turn up months later. I've not really had the chance to review the Road 6 tyre yet due to being off road for the last 5 months due to a bad injury, but i have zero doubts that it will be extremely good.
Neither of these tyres are what i'd call inexpensive though, but if you're patient enough and spend time online looking around then eventually a good price or even a bargain will suddenly appear from nowhere, so it's always worth having a look around if you feel you may need a tyre in say 6 months or so.