Effectively the softpot’s price is horrible !
for that i searched an alternative when I wanted to build a diy ribbon.
the velostat (very cheap) it turned out to work, but over time (especially the heat) I had some problem because of its small thickness.
I don’t know if it exists in thicker
I finish my new case and I will look at it again.
my 1rst test to improve it didn’t work very well for now
I’ll let you know