What is the right DDR pad for me?

[NeonKnight]

I have been browsing around this forum looking for what kind of DDR pad I should buy for myself, but the reviews on most pads are very mixed and some threads have many many pages.

I'll try my hand at creating my own thread asking what the best type of DDR pad is for me.

I don't have any specific type of pad in mind (soft, foam, metal) though it seems that metal would probably be a good choice as the general consensus here appeared to be that soft pads were not durable.

What is really important to me is that the pad is durable and does not move around while I am playing. I don't care much for indented arrows, or lighting effects, noise, I don't need a bar, although obviously the pad should respond well when I press down on the arrows.

I plan to play for a while so it's not just a "try it out" thing. I play at the heavy level at the arcade, mostly 9-step songs, so whatever pad I get should allow me to still be able to beat these songs.

I don't know if this matters at all, but I weigh around 180 pounds, and the pad will be on a tiled floor.

Once again, it is very important to me that whatever pad I get still works fine years from now and I don't have to buy a new one for a long long time. A stable pad that doesn't move around during play is also a huge plus. Everything else is not so important to me.

I was wondering which company I should order from? I was looking at RedOctane's Afterburner, since it seems pretty affordable at 200$ with free shipping: http://www.redoctane.com/redoctanemetalpad.html although reviews on this site seem to indicate that customer support really sucks (That shouldn't be a problem if the pad works fine and therefore no need for me to contact them, which is what I was wondering)

I also looked at Cobalt Flux, although they are a little pricey.

Are there any other pads that fit my needs around the 200$ (preferably cheaper ) price range? Would foam pads do the trick? Which company should I get it from?

Thanks in advance for the help.