Here's my take on it. I live in western Oregon where snow has become a fairly rare event. When it does come we usually have a time when the snow gets packed down to ice. When that happens, regular snow tires have trouble getting any bite into the ice. Chains work but are a pain to use. Studded snows do help.

I keep a set of studded snows on Volvo rims. They can fit either of my 240s but not my 940. I ONLY put these wheels on when there is snowfall expected to last a few days. Last winter these wheels went on my daughter's 240 for about a week. She had never driven on ice or snow but got along just fine on these tires. I drove the car also and it handled pretty well. You still had to give extra stopping room on ice. As soon as the snow melts, I switch back to the regular tires. With a good floor jack, switching tires is not a huge hassle and I'm 71.

There are three reasons I don't leave the studs on all winter. I feel they worsen handling on dry pavement; the studs damage the road surface; and the studded tires will last many years this way. If you can use studs only when needed, I'd go with studs. If you have to leave them on all winter, I'd look at some of those "super" snow tires the Swedes sell here. (I can neither spell or pronounce their names but a serch on this forum will bring them up.)