Perhaps someone who knows what they are talking about can offer better advice on 29er tyres. All I can say is I've got a Maxxis Ardent 2.25 on the front, and a Crossmark 2.0 on the back.
They come up to the stated size, seem reasonably fast (but I've nothing to compare against other than 26" tyres) and are sensibly priced. Work tubeless with a track pump on Stan's rims. I managed to tear the sidewall on a Crossmark, but I couldn't say what did it. They've survived the Chilterns without any problems. I'm not the lightest rider around. They are black, and made of rubber.
Were you using the Spesh Captain "Team" or "Control" ? The latter are supposed to have tougher sidewalls (but also seem unavailable in this country).