Acronis true image is excellent, you will need to buy the full version to gain all the benefits.
How much do you value your data? Seagate HDD’s come with the free version called “DiscWizard” and while it is less functional than a full copy of Acronis, it does work for a full C:/ disc image so will keep your OS intact for re installation. Both also include a boot disc maker.
Personally, I have used Acronis TI and have no complaints. It will log all your back ups and verify them either when made or before use. You can mount the images and select individual files and folders to copy and restore. There are a few good tools in the program and it is very stable. I have the full version and it is worth the money, there are free back up software's, but, well they are free!! Acronis also has the very useful continuous backup facility and the usual choices of differential and incremental. There is a sector by sector option, but this takes more HDD space than an image.
Part of a truly safe back up system is the use of RAID, this can be a costly option in both striping and mirroring with the additional hard drives required. The answer to your question is based on value of data, for simple back ups software gives reasonable protection on its own, RAID volumes do enhance this.