Well, Gary, YMMV.......

I must confess to taking VERY good care of my cables, I never let people walk over them, coil them carefully and snake as many together as I need so they don't get scattered all over the place. But I DO play in a marine environment (beachfront poolside) for 7 months of the year, and so far, no problems.

Just the lifetime warranty is what Esh needs to look for. As long as you can take a bad one back for free, 'no harm, no foul'. You are right, making them yourself if you have the time and skill is the best option, but if not, just get a guarantee!