Like most things you will typically get what you pay for. Just remember one thing though, they are all Made in China nowadays so the quality is definitely off. Why shouldn't it be though? We keep buying the **** they're sending over here by the boatload!
If your tape measure lasts 20 years you aren't using it very much. If you are in the trades they will wear out within a couple of years. I consider a tape measure a tool that is to be used up and its value is not in how many years it lasts but how it performs when being used. A bad tape measure wastes a lot of time and is an irritant for a guy who uses it on the job.