When I look to buy lasting goods I don’t usually don’t buy the top of the line as it is not affordable nor would I get the value out of it (however, I do buy my Macs at almost the top of the line). The other day I had to take my circular saw in for service as it didn’t quite sound right; I bought it a few months ago reconditioned. I know I didn’t buy the top of the line (the saw along with a drill, flashlight and reciprocating saw was $199), but didn’t buy the bottom. When I started talking to the folks at the repair shop, they pretty much laughed at me with my saw. These people repair professional tools and my rinky dink saw was basically a toy. I admitted that I knew what I was getting, but it definitely wasn’t the bottom of the line; it did come with lithium ion batteries which should have moved it up a notch. However, they didn’t agree. After talking with the manager for a bit, I learned that the price of the tool doesn’t necessarily mean anything as they get all tools in for repair; it really doesn’t matter the brand (there are only a few manufacturers of electric tools as there have been a lot of mergers).
In any case, in a few weeks, I should have my saw back fully repaired (yes, it should have lasted more than a few months), but since I don’t use professionally, the tools work work fine. If I get at least a few years out of them, I’ll be happy.