I've always used the cheaper tubes from the big box stores and the past 8 to 10 years or so, I've used Continental or Michelin tubes from the LBS. I immediately noticed a difference in the way the Continental tubes and Michelin tubes versus the "cheaper" big box store tubes. With the cheaper brands of tubes, I was airing up my 700c x 32c tubes ( 72 PSI ), at least 2 or 3 times weekly after losing about 5 to 8 PSI of air. With the better brands from the LBS, I found myself only airing up about once every 10 days, and then it was only 3 to 5 PSI. No differences noticed except less loss of air with the more expensive, quality tubes from the LBS.