I've been using mine quite often for the past 3 years and there is no sign of the front cover beginning to separate from the side binding as is usually the case with most other binders I've used.
My 12 yr old is very rough on his school supplies. I thought this would be a great fit for him. He destroyed it in under a week in middle school. the binder rings were uneven in just a few days. I switced back to the reg heavy duty binder and he has had that for over a month with ni issues. save your $$$ don't buy this expensive binder