That's what i've gathered about Cusco products too. Every used one that I've seen for sale has been rusted to oblivion.
I've had a superpro swaybar on my wrx for many years and it looks the same as the day I installed it. I can say the same about my rear sway, which is a whiteline that was installed at the same time. Granted the car has never left florida, so never seen snow or salt. I also can't say if the quality has dropped in the past ~9 years...