So it would seem that there are some very nice "cheap" plate carriers on the market of decent enough quality to deserve a look. Although, weeding through the crap is the problem...which ones are junk and which are not?
I just replaced my HSGI Woosatch with a Pantac XPC and really like it. Pantac is obviously known as an airsoft brand but for $70 I thought I would give it a try. I was very impressed with the quality of materials (ITW buckles, Cordura and Velcro branded material). The stitching looks to be very nice as well. I'm not an expert but it appears to be double stitched and bar tacked in all the right places with no loose ends or threads. The PALS webbing is also spaced consistently. I'm not saying it's on par with LBT, HSGI, etc. but for my needs it should work well.
If/when this XPC falls apart, I will probably upgrade to something known for higher quality but for now, this one is GTG.
I know we have a "cheap" or economy optic thread, maybe we need a "cheap" plate carrier thread to compare the quality and figure out which ones are truly junk and which ones will work good enough for us common folk...?