I've tried the Rampage 2.35, Ikon EXO 2.2, S-Works Captain 2.2 (2Bliss) and 2.0, Small Block Eight DTC 2.1, and Panaracer CG XC 2.25.
I ride super dry, dusty, hardpack, often with sandy pockets and sandy loose turns. Rocks, but not roots and very rare mud. Mostly decomposed granite. Examples: southridge, sycamore, box springs, San juan (top 2/3 from cocktail to bottom/oaks).
Overall, I like the Ikons the most. I wouldn't hesistate to recommend the Panaracer CG XC though. Those tires are surprisingly high quality; I was really impressed by them before even installing them. I might get another instead of the Ikon (when my Ikons wear out), since they are slightly more affordable and have great all-around performance at a penalty of speed and weight.
Price: Rampage (35), SB8 (35), CG XC (42), Ikon (53), S-Works Capt...
Speed: Ikon 10/10, SB8 8/10, Captain 7/10, CG XC 7/10, Rampage 5/10... 1/10 would be (26" mud tire)
Dry traction: Ikon wins, followed close by CG XC and then SB8. SB8 grips hard on granite, more so than any other tire. Rampage and Captains don't feel up to par set by the others. Micro Knobs gripping more than widely spaced big knobbies going against preconceptions? My opinion was certainly changed.
Moist traction: Captain, by far. CG XC, Ikon, Rampage comparable. SB8 starts to feel sketchy
Wet: Not sure, but I know SB8 totally fails here. Especially on rock, even up a slight grade, they just don't grip.
Off camber: CG XC by far. Rampage is okay too. All the other suck. Captains notably suck the most here.
Braking: Rampage and CG XC stop really well. Ikons skid easily, but are very predictable. SB8s skid a bit too much. Captains brake ok, but get really sketchy and out of control if you are on the verge of skidding.
Cornering: CG XC gives me the most confidence, though the Captains impress me more with their ability carve really, in its element (moist soil). Rampage feels really stable and can be pushed. Ikons, I am light on (I know their limit well). SB8s, I don't trust.
Deep loose sand: Captains and CG XC seem to track straighter with more control through the deep sand, maintaining more momentum. Ikons and SB8s are a bit too sketchy and squirm/fish tail through. Rampages are stable, but gets bogged down and if you stall out, you cannot get it started back up again.
Flats: I'd assume the CG XC holds up the best, but I've only run it tubeless. I've flatted all the others multiple times, though mostly punctures with Ikons and more pinches with the SB8 and Rampage. Captains pinch flatted far too often, followed by SB8 for most frequent flats.
Tubeless: CG XC, despite not being tubeless, fits really tight on my Flows and seems to hold up better to lower pressure; no burps and no lost seals. Ikons convert very well too on Flows; lost one seal on my rear tire when I left the bike in the car (rear tire was leaning against something). Lost my tubeless seal on SB8 on a conversion (reg rims w/Stan's rubber rim strip; lost it doing a drop) and couldn't convert the rear. Same experience with the Rampage. Could not convert the captains on regular rims using Stan's rubber strip. My rims were likely more to blame. Edge rims don't have bead shelves (no success with any tire on them) and the vuelta rims had issues with tires.
Life/Durability: Ikons have 1+k miles over 7 months and still about 50%, even the rear (though my XC FS bike has closer to 50/50 weight dist as opposed to my AM bike's 35F/65R distro), without any cuts, and lots of scuffs on sidewall. The SB8 I used on my rear got a small sidewall cut but looks to have 80% life with 600+ miles (can't run it tubeless now without a tire patch). Others look hardly used with at least 70% life with 200-500 miles. No dreaded cuts with the Captains, thankfully; they look like they would shred easily.
Summary: Ikons for pure speed and all around performance. CG XC for more all around traction at cost of speed and weight. Captains 2Bliss if you ride more moist soil and not the typical super dry desert stuff that I ride. The others just seem average and have too many compromises and not a lot that they excel at; expected, since they are the cheapest out of the tires; lessen learned is that expensive rubber actually does perform a lot better and I won't really skimp on tires anymore after getting a feel for quality rubber (they are a huge contact point, which wisdom says not to skimp on). Panaracer signature line (Made in Japan; doesn't include Rampage) definitely is the highest quality-made tire line that I ever handled; their tread patterns seem rather odd, but work.
Think I might swap over to the Mutano or CG AM on my AM bike, after getting a feel for micro knobs and "rail" type treads instead of sticking with High Roller/Nevegal/Bronson tread types.
