Cheap notions are a false economy

Hi folks, I'm suffering with a horrible cold at the moment and for some reason this is making me more wordy, it must be all that time I'm spending watching 'the Good Wife'.  So here is a wordy post on notions.

I've been sewing for a while now and have started to put more thought and money into the fabrics that I use.  However, when buying notions I only think about quality control when buying thread.  I think about it because I have had some fails with rubbish thread snapping and snarling up my machine.  For anyone who is interested, I like gutermann threads. However, I've now realised I should be applying these same standards when buying notions.  Look at what happened to the zip on my pink New Look 6873 skirt:

This was particularly distressing for 3 reasons, firstly I had done what, for me, was a meticulous job on this skirt and I was pleased with my lapped zipper.  Secondly, the fabric used was a gorgeous quality wool which I had spent more than my average spend when purchasing this fabric and it was now being let down by the zip!  Thirdly and super embarrassingly, I had been staying at my boyfriends the day it broke and when getting dressed in the morning found myself with nothing to wear!!!! Luckily I managed to find a dress I had left behind otherwise I would have had to spend the whole day in a skirt that was safety pinned to me!

So its pretty unusual (in my experience at least) for zips to come apart like this.  I may have used too fragile a zip for the weight of the fabric (this is a hefty wool) however, I wonder if a zip that cost me 25p was the best idea on an item that I'd bought quality fabric for?  Can anyone weigh in with some recommendations of zip brands or types that I should look out for?  How much of a false economy do you think cheap zips are?  Did I just get unlucky?