You sir are very, very wrong with your prices. On 2nd thought...how many of the good ones would you like to buy at $30 each?
Plastic is a Meucci ferrule...not what we are discussing here.
Hightower was correct. You can buy the black & brown phenolic with the small, tight weave pattern...this stuff will indeed break, its somewhat brittle. Many makers are using this & have no idea.
The better option is, as Rat & Chris both said, the canvas-resin. It has the larger weave pattern as shown in the Mueller picture. This stuff is bullet proof & holds chalk well. If you've had this break on you then it was installed wrong...no if's, and's, or but's. Problems range from too large an id hole to leaving the cap too thin. If machined & installed properly then you'll never have any problems. I know...I give a lifetime warranty against cracking, splitting, breaking.
Now everyone know's the truth to the matter.