Oh man, my friend had the exact same thing happen! She dropped like $40 on some fancy bone folder from a specialty shop because everyone online swore by it. Then one day she grabbed a cheap one at Michaels just to have a backup, and it ended up being her favorite. The expensive one started peeling or something weird after a few months, but the cheap one is still going strong years later. She was so annoyed about it, mostly because she felt like she got tricked by the price tag. It really makes you wonder if the fancy brands are just charging for the name sometimes.