This stakes offer good holding power, but the skinny neck is a weak link where the stakes bend easily. Similarly, the stakes can bend at any of the numerous cut out points. If you use these a general purpose stake, you'll likely bend/break them before too long. However, if you use them as a stake for softer soils then they are good - but they don't have enough holding power for really soft soils and sands, so the actual niche for these stakes is more narrow than I'd hoped. If they beefed up the neck these would be a better all purpose stake. As is, I use the ti skewers most of the time and just pull these out for soft soils - or the few I have left anyways after most of them have broken.