Having tested many brands of strings, I will try to give an objective view.

Fender strings-The only one I like is the Nickel Wound series. Warm tone, decent lastability but it is also some of the highest tension strings around. Don't use it on a Floyd guitar though, it sounds dead. But for strats in general, this is a good choice.

Dean Markeley- I only tested the Blues Steels and it's nice. Warm fat tone and they really last. Only drawback is the very expensive price (RM28!!!)

Ernie Ball Slinkies- I have been a long time Ernie Ball user. I hate the sound (Ernie Balls are bright and thinny) but they last (as in they don't break too soon and the tone stays consistent for weeks), they are easy to bend, and you can find them almost everywhere. It is also some of the cheapest decent strings around.

Ernie Ball Rock N' Roll- I prefer this Ernie Ball strings instead. Warm fat tone, easy to bend, but they don't really last long(they break easily and the tone goes to hell in one week), they have limited gauge(no 10-52), and they are also alot more expensive that the Slinkies.

D'Addario- My all time favourite. Went back to this brand after avoiding it for a few years. It's weird, a few years ago, when I started using it, I love the tone, it's warm and full, the tone stays consistent, the string tension a little higher than Ernie Ball, and they last(they don't rust easily) but I kept on breaking strings. It is always the E and B strings. I thought I got a bad pack, so I replaced the whole set and the same thing happens. Either the B or E string will break within three days. Went back to Ernie Ball, and no more string breaking (at least not within three days)

But wait, last month, I couldn't find my usual Ernie Ball gauge(10-52) anywhere (Bentley told me I need to wait a few weeks for the next shipment). So out of desperation, I bought two packs of D'Addario 10-52 fully expecting them to break within three days. But no, fast forward to this month and I am still with the same pack. It's weird. I don't know what happen but I know I am back to D'Addario again. It helps that my usual gauge is two bucks cheaper than EB too.

Gibson brite wires- This is the worse strings ever. Feels horrible, they sound dead, and it is also expensive.

Godin strings- Repackaged D'Addarios, and Guitar Store have the nerve to sell them more expensive than D'Addarios. Whenever I point out that it's the same strings but why is the Godin more expensive, they always give me the stupid nervous smile and then silenced.

I will never buy stainless steel strings. They are more expensive, they do eat your frets faster, and only the wound strings are stainless steel. Ask yourself this question, how often do you see rusted standard wound strings? The answer is rare, unless of course you are those that change strings once a year which you should then quit playing as you have no appreciation for tone and playability at all.

As for the gauge, the general rule of thumb is the higher the gauge, the fatter, warmer, and tighter the sound.

If you want a fatter sound for riffs, 10-52 is a good start. 10-60 is overkill really, as your nut needs to be recut and you will twist your neck a little on the bass side.