"Is it worth it?" is a very loaded question. For some, the process of saving for a specific tool - and I imagine that 'tools' are what are under discussion here - means that, psychologically, it will be 'better' than an off-the-peg equivalent.
The cited tool under discussion, the axe, is a good example. GB established a significant hold on the market thanks to Mr Mears's endorsement, their perceived quality, modestly elevated prices and comparative scarcity back in the day. These factors made their axes desirable. They are still useful, functioning tools but there is that perpetual quest for something scarce that is also 'better'.
I fell for the GB mystique but soon realised that my first - the popular Small Forest axe - was a compromise too far: I felt that it didn't do much, well. So, my quest began to find an axe that was 'better'. Every one I tried did the jobs satisfactorily but lacked that indefinable je-ne-sais-quoi.
Eventually, I was led to Thorn Wood Forge and there I currently rest. Their axes are expensive but, in use, they provide an ease and precision for which I was searching. Given that, I would say, "Yes, it was worth it" because I now have an axe that I trust entirely but which is also a delight to use. That last is something on which you cannot put a price.
Some folk may try a Thorn Wood axe and wonder what all the fuss is about. That's their prerogative and is a glorious celebration of the individual's needs and tastes. For them, the quest, if they are searching, goes on; others may 'get it', save for their numbered axe and delight in it when it arrives. For them, it is most definitely 'worth it'.
However you look at it, there is not - and can never be - a 'right' or a 'wrong' answer and that's what makes the choice of tools so varied, so exciting.
