I think it was Will Rogers that said "always buy the best you can afford" (or some such thing). I think it applies here with an eye on usage and quality.

Portions of my EDC goes into (and comes from) my "10 essentials" that I have always in the woods (with Scouts) so my stuff is definitely used, but with proper care and maintenance, you can use quality stuff for a long time, despite cosmetic blemishes introduced while using