At work, my company encourages me to procure the best tools. I don't use $5 Chinese screwdrivers, I use $10 Kleins (and yes, there are better out there, but Klein makes the grade), because the metal, machining, and ergonomics are better, and I am less likely to break one or strip a screw at a crucial moment (thereby costing me more time and money in the long run). It is harder when it's your own cash, but the lesson is the same, don't use CHEAP gear, especially, when the "job", is keeping your butt alive in an emergency situation. Cheap is of course not always the least expensive, nor is the best or adequate the most expensive. If you are purchasing gear that you feel is too expensive to use or abuse training, it's probably not gear, it's art. Don't buy Lamborghini's when you want a Hummer. I too am in the "Use it, Use it, Use it" category. You want it to be dead simple and familiar to use in an emergency situation. If you have a trophy piece, that's fine, just realize that it is art, not gear, and purchase something functional , useable, and trainable for gear. A Mora that you've trained extensively with is infinitely more valuable in a survival situation than a Strider that you haven't.

my .02

C. Rowe