I for one hate eggbeaters there is no positive feedback at the end of the float so I at least disengage without realizing it. I ride on ancient spds and have never pulled out of them as long as my cleats are new.

As far as shoes go my experience is generally that you get what you pay for. My orginal dominators were amazing shoes(although I dislike lorica) and were followed by a string of cheapo shoes that all just sucked. The diadora picantes I use now are a nice compromise between price and quality I think. However, they look like they will last nowhere near as long as the dominators did so maybe they really aren't such a good value if you can afford the dominators.