Is a Drive Belt a Drive Belt?

[knarf]

Greetings forum members,

While working on my engine,117, a bath towel got caught between the moving drive belts and engine pullies.
Three out of the 4 drive belts were damaged and the idler pulley was snaped off its mount and bent .
This seems to be the extent of the damage.
The pulley has been replaced but i'm not sure about the drive belt replacement.
The belts that were damaged are ContiTech, made in Germany.
My guess is that these are quality belts but I'm not sure.
The only store open at the time of this accident was a local AutoZone that sold me replacement Kelly Springfield belts. They fell stiff, almost brittle, compared to the ContiTech belts.
When I questioned the quality of the product the salesman replied that a belt is a belt.
I don't feel comfortable with this answer and have not installed these belts.
What determines a quality belt and who makes them?


Thanks in advance for any and all replys,


Knarf

[G-Benz]

I am picky with using quality brands for critical components...

...generally, if the part is inexpensive, I don't worry too much.

Belts fall under that category (save for timing belts).

I've used a variety of belts over the years, and haven't noticed much difference. Usually, if a belt failed prematurely, there was some other culprit (bad pulley, seized bearings, etc.).