I actually do use those flimsy metal tomato cages. (most of mine are 54", I think? with a few 48" and 42") They're not bad for dwarfs, small determinates, and peppers. They certainly aren't enough on their own for the big indeterminates.
However, since I stupidly bought a holy ton of them one year, some imagination and cheap fixes had to be explored. I connected the end of two rows of them to my metal fence and then firmly attached them to each other with zip ties on three sides. Reenforced that way, they are surprisingly sturdy. They were completely covered with huge plants last year and none of them fell apart. (Although I eventually had to trim the plants back because they were sprawling out of the top and running back down all over the place.)
Not saying that the advice to avoid them and buy something better isn't valid. It is! But just in case anyone out there is as dumb as I was, I'd like to let them know that they might not have completely thrown away all of their hard earned money. Zip ties are magic, people!!
