To actually answer your question, the lamination does a good job of preventing them from actually breaking (or stretching badly, for that matter). But your toe straps also get tooth marks from the buckle that, once they start, keep getting bigger because the teeth lodge in the same place every time. Sooner or later the buckle makes a big enough notch that you just don't like the way they perform, and you may have more trouble getting them to release when you need them to. So yes, you'll get more life, and you'll like the security of the straps better, but if you are depending on them for hard skids regularly, you won't get four times the life of a decent strap (but you will get four times the life of a cheap one). $12 doesn't buy you much more than a cheap strap. You can get the MKS Fit Alpha straps from Bens Bike for $39, and they are superb. I highly recommend them. They have a double-wide buckle mount, laminated construction, the teeth grab well without cutting the straps, and they are also long (many of the toe straps out there are sized for Japanese feet and simply aren't long enough for someone with a 10+ shoe size). You may have to call Ben's about them, since they aren't always listed on eBay. The cream colored ones in smooth leather work well for me, although the black suede ones tend to hold a bit better. There are doubles in the same model that share the same characteristics if it's doubles you're after (but you can use two singles and then don't have to throw both away if one goes bad for any reason).