Are off-brand grill covers better than the manufacturer's own?

Across specialist communities like r/grilling and r/webergrills, the recurring consensus is that third-party covers from brands like Unicook, Classic Accessories (Ravenna), and KingKong often outlast and outperform the official Weber cover at a fraction of the price. Multiple high-trust threads describe Weber-branded covers cracking or fading within a couple of seasons, while several owners report 3-7 years from cheaper alternatives. That said, fit matters: a model-specific cover seals better against wind than a generic one.