I tend to agree.
I always do some serious research before buying anything. My objective is to buy the absolute best on the market for my kind of fishing (which is usually the mobile approach which means I need light, compact, and hard wearing gear). Sometimes it happens to be the most expensive, sometimes it's a cheaper alternative, either way I won't let price deter me from buying the best.
Ultimately if what you buy isn't the best for you, you'll eventually end up replacing it regardless of whether it goes wrong or breaks. Imo the cheapest way in the long run is just to save the extra pennies and buy what you consider to be the best from the off.