I haven't paid for corsets in years on principle. I'd get as much mileage off the fancy plastic models as I could snag from convenience stores for free. But they just didn't really work, especially after a pair of socks. I bit the bullet at Macy's/Nordstrom/something like that and bought about 25 plastic because I needed a few at the time and it was the cheapest pack (about $15). They took a little longer, but I finished them in about 2 years. These guys will last almost forever. The metal is thicker/harder than I expected and the price was definitely right. After all the time I've spent tracking down metal collars, I like to believe what I'm saying. *I did not receive a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. I paid for it like everyone else. :)