Looking for tyre recommendation - really struggling!

[fossyant]

* will keep this small otherwise the 'CC Marathon+ Fan Club' will send the boys round, the 700x38c weighs just short of 1kg.

Thats heavier than Maxxis Minion 27.5 x 2.35 MTB tyres

 

[Ajax Bay]

* will keep this small otherwise the 'CC Marathon+ Fan Club' will send the boys round, the 700x38c weighs just short of 1kg.

Yes: nearly all my 28mm road tyres are <280g. Forced to replace one at 670km (into a 1600 end-to-end) and chose an M+ @ 28mm (ha, ha - came out on 15mm rims as 31+mm and I had to ditch the rear mudguard) as the alternative at 1830 of Day 4 was an unbranded 25.
Fitting it (onto a Mavic MA3 rim) was an emotional physical fight (forecourt of a garage on the A6 after 11 hours riding).
Removing it after the trip: it weighed 756g. On the plus side it still looked new after 1000km and I found an acquaintance (member of fan club referred to ) to buy it off me for £15.

 

[Deafie]

Continental-grand-prix-4-season-2015-vs-Michelin-pro-4-endurance-v2-2015-vs-Vittoria-rubino-pro-control-2016
Here you go. The Vittoria's are only £14 (for 25s) here.
I have been pleased with both others but you will do well to get them for <£35.

I bet you don't ride 100+ miles on M+s or if you do, I identify you as a masochist or in a deep resistance training phase (of your life).
M+ 28s are 750g heavy (cf <300g for the ones I compared above).

I rode 650 miles on M+ last week (8 days). I was the fastest and oldest rider in the group. 26 x 1.75, other riders on road bikes with 28s.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Fastest and oldest certainly reflects your company on what must have been an excellent ride: and masochism: you were the top man there as well. Anecdata?
On my end-to-end I rode 600 miles on M+ (5 days). I was the fastest and oldest rider in the group (of one). 28-622. The tyre was still half a kilo heavier than the useless Giant PR-1 (iirc) that it replaced (@ 400 miles in).
Tyre is now happily on the bike of a friend for whom 500g extra will not make a significant difference and has thumbs of steel and short nails.