Subscription-based vs Free Antivirus

blackmage439

I am looking for a comprehensive, professional, and somewhat current comparison of different antivirus, firewall, and antimalware programs. I noted this in another post: http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=25040. Please see my post for an article containing a list of 15 free security programs. Just wanted to be on a little more official terms here. Basically I am looking for either one of these things:

• Your personal experiences with different AV/FW/AM programs, either subscription-based or free, including any of the products mentioned in the above article.
• Another article you could possibly link to, outlining the pros & cons of different AV/FW/AM programs.

Your help in this will be greatly appreciated. I currently use McAfee Virus Scan and Firewall. While I am not unhappy with McAfee's services, I am looking into other possibilities. I am also considering writing my own comparison of different products, once I compile a nice-sized list of different programs and have a chance to try them out.

Thank you to whomsoever helps me out with this. I will definately note your contributions if I ever write my critique.