Yeah Ryobi is dirt cheap and good enough for most things. When you need to add another tool, choosing between the one that doesn’t have a battery and the one that does but is twice the price has a big influence on your decision.
Also, I’m not a contractor, so I only use certain tools once every six months. Have yet to have anything fail on me. If it does, maybe I’ll upgrade. Certain tools have already paid for themselves in that they saved me from needing to hire someone else. Just getting a pole saw and hedge trimmer alone saved me probably $700.
I do have a few of the other brands, but they were damn pricey and I don’t use them enough to justify it.
Sucks about the trees, but your other repairs you’ve made don’t seem too bad. It could’ve been worse… trees could’ve been neglected and fallen on your property.
Yeah we need to start becoming aware of how our brains are being manipulated. If you’re angry, your fight or flight response is engaged and you give your attention to something (ie. click)