i eventually wnet with shimanos cause i got scik of replacing those 50 dollar cleats so often.

shimanos are made of HARD steel and last 10X as long without needing replacement. when it does come time to replace them they are cheaper.

time's do feel slightly better and have a smoother release though (when the cleats are new). once the cleats wear down enough they start to unclip really easy and not always when you want them too.