I'd feel if I still had to scrape the bottom of the barrel in order to get the tools I need for my trade at 48 that I'd be doing something seriously wrong :)

It's good those cheaper options exist, me, I just buy what I need at the list price if it's tools, I have one of these at home and one of them at work. It may be a bit more expensive but the time spent and possible frustration on trying to save $500 on something ordered from far away just is not worth it to me, especially not if it were to break at some point during what would normally be the warranty period. I guess at your price point you could simply order yet another one as a spare :)

I have the same attitude towards cars (even though I'm perfectly capable of fixing just about anything), food and a few other items. In some ways this is a tremendous luxury and I am well aware of that.