Care to name names? Especially for the "good" $4 cables?
I wasn't involved in the purchasing process, but I'm almost positive that we went with Anker cables — might have worked directly with them, or just bought them from Amazon/eBay.
So far, my favorite USB-C cables for USB 2.0 applications are the Cable Matters ones — they're
$6 on Amazon, have a great matte feel, super thin cable, and have gold-plated connectors that are a lot stricter-tolerance than other cables, which means they never lose a connection — even when subjected to a ton of lateral force. They have the most satisfying "click" I've heard, too, which gives me a ton of confidence for more rugged applications.
Just remember: the great thing about USB-C and the worst thing about USB-C are one in the same: it's one connector to rule them all. Those simple USB 2.0 A-to-C cables are going to be worthless for connecting actual USB 3.1-capable devices (external hard drives, capture cards, etc) to your computer. For that, you'll need a more expensive, bulkier USB 3.1 A-to-C cable that actually has all 22 signals bonded out.