Originally Posted by
ZachasaurusRex
...I've read a few things saying that the tube seals and things were splitting, that kind of stuff.
Split tubes are almost always due to faulty mounting of tube and tire. The tire bead isn't properly seated, the tube sneaks out through the gap while being inflated and BOOM. Or in some circumstances the rupture occurs while riding. Still due to faulty installation. Done it myself when I was careless and neglected to inflate carefully and check the bead seating at intervals before fully inflating.
Beyond that I haven't noticed any differences in performance between name brand and no-name tubes. There probably are some poor quality tubes out there, but I haven't encountered them. I didn't like the looks of the Schrader stem on my Nashbar sealant filled tube - the rubber just looks a bit lumpy and uneven compared with others I've seen - but in performance it's been fine. During the past several months I've had to replace the Specialized tubes that originally came with the bike (due to numerous flats, not tube quality) and the Bontrager replacements appear identical in quality.