Man ... things get heated pretty easily. I have used them El Cheapos and them El Branded. I got cheapos that spewed sparks on my first time powering her up and also some that really were well abused. Basically, you get what you pay for. Each has its own use. I still got my CC, MGM, Turnigy, DualSky and more. They all work well when you know where you want them in.

As for me, if its a nice say EP Integral, I will go with the branded stuff. Its a fact that they do last better BUT of course you are definitely paying a premium for them.