I've had my run ins with servos that outlived their usefulness. I had a couple old ones that were drawing too much causing a brown out. I replaced them and no more problems. Still, my absolute best luck has been with those T-pro's. Strong, metal gear, they've survived a lot of crashes with no ill effects and they perform awesomely. I don't mind throwing away a 7 dollar T-pro or hobbyking servo, but I would have a hard time tossing a 60 dollar hitec because of the same reasons.
The thing for me is, I won't put anything in the air that I don't have confidence in. If I'm worried about any part of my system, then it takes the fun out of flying it. If you don't feel comfortable using cheap servos, then don't and don't let anyone talk you into it. Find something you're comfortable with so you can relax and focus on flying.