Having been a big fan of Champ Scorpion (original) cleats which lasted a whole season, I have been disappointed with the yellow and black 'Stinger' version which have already worn out.
The Stingers were more expensive and look good but are frail compared to the originals.
I would say that the longevity is more akin to the Black Widows (about a dozen rounds)

How often is it that manufacturers bring out new and improved (and more expensive) versions of things that do not perform as well as the previous model?

Or did the originals last so well that profits were down compared to other manufacturers?

Interesting last point there Al. Out of curiosity, did you notice any difference in their performance? I use the original Scorpion cleats and they do just seem to last and last.

Unfortunately, "planned obselence" seems to be built in to most things now. My DVD player has just packed in but as I can pick up another for £25 it's not worth repairing.

Ste - they both perform well - if anything the Stingers seem less inclined to clog but I'm really surprised how much the legs have worn, I fitted them to a new pair of Stylo Ravens which already had some Scorpion type cleats (which will be refitted soon)

The thing that bugs me about them, is that they are not sturdy enough to be removed from a Tri-Lok (Adidas & Footjoy) mount without ripping through them. I've had to resort to pliers on more than one occasion - and two are still stuck. I've worn through 2 sets since Jan - a pair on each of the pairs of shoes that I have...

My understanding was that this cleat was considered to be "done" when the "C" in the centre was worn away. Personal opinion is that the Black widows give better grip and the cleat is useless well before the "C" has gone. It's not unusual for me to find the arms (not sure on the terminology) have snapped off when the cleats look fine otherwise.

I'm using Champ Scorpion 'Stinger' Cleats Q Lok in my Hi-Tec Custom V-Lites. The ones that came with the shoe lasted about 6 months for me, I am on my 1st after market set now. It is really depentant on how much conrete you get to walk or basically the distnace of the walk back to the boot of the car until you can change them.