I don't have the STP vinyl, but I disagree about modern vinyls. I have found they are more durable and skip less often. Of the two hundred records I have bought in the last two years, only one has skipped. Make sure you are cleaning your records well before playing them, and make sure you have a good needle.
Many of the "scratches" on modern vinyl are just surface marks that don't affect the play at all. The majority of these marks are caused by the cardboard sleeves that records are placed in these days. They look nice, but they damage the vinyl when you pull them out. The cheap white paper is much better for storage and safe keeping.