One thing to remember when buying guitar strings, is that the tone of a particular string is not the only factor you need to consider. The fact of the matter is that no two guitar strings are manufactured exactly the same. String diameter can be off by a significant factor from brand to brand, and package to package. And no string is exactly the same diameter at every point along it.

Variations in string consistency will most likely invalidate your setup, meaning that if you change brands often, even to the same gauge, you are going to have to set your intonation every time, and make sure that it's right. I generally check every string change, after I've had a chance to stretch the string in a bit. Once they're holding pitch, I'd noticed a very significant difference.

D'Addario Nickel Plated 10-46: Very consistent string. Not the best tone in the world, but setups usually hold fairly close from set to set.

Fender Super-bullet Nickel Plated Steel 10-46: Consistent from pack to pack, but not along each string. Variations in diameter make intonation erratic, although it may be approximated along several frets and when this is done they perform adequately. Tone is much better than D'Addario, and they stay in tune better. Bullets have a tendency of falling off the E-string, especially on hard-tail guitars.

Dean Markley Blue Steel 10-46: Very inconsistent strings, and when I say very I mean you're lucky if your guitar adjusts enough to intonate these. One set I bought needed to have the A string substituted upon installation because there was nearly a .002 inch difference from one end to the other, making it impossible to set up the guitar - no intonation put the 12th fret over 30 cents flat of the open string. I couldn't adjust it to less than 20 cents flat at the 12th fret. For the rest of the strings, the intonation didn't follow the usual pattern, with the E and G strings requiring far more than usual, D string less, and the high B and high E being the only relatively normal ones. These strings sound amazing though...and might be worth the very strange setup they require.

Ernie Ball Slinky 10-46: Every set is like a different brand of string. Every string change requires a new setup. The setups aren't extremely different, but if you play these strings, I recommend changing them one at a time, as needed. Changing them all causes too much trauma to your setup. Often too, the high E and B are impossible to intonate, producing different intonation curves based on how they are fretted. I blame it on inconsistencies but I haven't actually measured one. I recommend changing whatever strings are being difficult, and not trying to keep a matched set.