Don't think for one moment that the Superstars are a lesser pedal or even a 'copy' of the same pedals from other manufacturers like Deity, Nukeproof etc, they are all basically picked out of a catalogue and are made by HT components of Taiwan. I had a set of HT pedals from Eurobike a few years back before the first big name use of the design (Kona Wah Wah) was available to buy anywhere. Some companies add little touches to make them a bit different but they were all based on the original design done by HT themselves. And yeah, you can bend an axle but thats because its a low profile design and the axle has to be relatively slim to fit the cartridge bearing around it. You still get plenty enough strength for most situations and the sealing is excellent. If you pay more than the superstar price you are just paying for the name. These Spanks are a different design to the Superstars so lets see if they are actually worth the extra $$$.