It's not that other double straps are so bad necessarily; it's just that despite the cost, Toshi's are clearly superior. I can't speak for MKS & Kashimax, but I would guess that they're just as good in quality. The suede is stronger than the leather used in most other straps, and the construction makes them pretty resistant to stretching and delaminating. You hear people having problems with every other kind of strap, but you never hear anything but "buy Toshi's" about Toshi straps.