I’m a bit of both. My primaries are my SR25 and my TM SCAR (which I have worked on and am very happy with the performance of both). - cost, let’s not go there.
Then my most trusty side arm WE G23, cheap as chips and had for a very long time. I was reluctant to do any work in my glock, but after one game of stacking up pistol kills, I thought yeah let’s do it. Again now it is even better.
When I first started airsoft, I insisted of having genuine Crye products and now I am not too fussed, partly due to shipping and other out landish costs (he says eyeing up a Crye plate carrier). - Buying things like that is not an issue, it is just getting it past customs, which I mean my wife! 😅