I personally have mostly Rapalas for everything with a lip. My lipless are all Rat-L-Traps. Although, last week I decided to see what the hype was with these $15-$20 Lucky Craft cranks and picked up a Baby Bass in perch. The first thing I must say is that these lures are absolutly beautiful and they feel great. They cast very well and have a nice motion in the water and I've yet to get it caught up(2 days of fishing: an hour and a half of it on my line total). All this being said, I don't have any more confidence in them than I do in my Rapalas. If I were you, I'd bite the bullet once (when you have a little extra cash) for your favorite type of crank and give it a try. If you really look at it, $15 isn't that bad of a risk.
Good luck in whatever you choose.