Replacement tyres for Crewman SS

[rocks-crewman]

Am about to replace standard Bridgestone ER 30s 225/55/17 as they are rapidly approaching knackered status after 42K kms. I am happy with the performance of the OE tyres and will probably replace them with the same brand tyres etc. But before I reach for the phone, has anyone out there replaced their OE tyres with a different brand (but with the same load rating)? Will I be better of staying with Bridgestone or are there other tyres out there the same size that will do the job for the same $$$ or better?
Thanks in advance for your advice/recommendations....