If I'm using medium or low reasoning, I use Sonnet 5. If high or above, I use Opus 4.8. (Before 5, I was never using Sonnet. This is a Sonnet 5 vs Opus 4.8 comparison.)

Sonnet 5 and Opus 4.8 seem about the same to me - the reason I switch between the two is I'd read that it's cheaper to use Sonnet 5 on those reasoning levels, and cheaper to use Opus 4.8 above them. This is due to them using different token quantities.

I use Opus for specs and planning, Sonnet for code generation.