Nobody seems to have considered the fact that tradesmen abuse tools, so pro
ranges are partly designed with this in mind.
There is a middle ground where you can spend bugger all on the tool but look
after it, and spend some of the money you've saved on new bits etc. Giving
the tool less work to do, rather than using it less often, can be a good
compromise.
I recently watched somebody burn a drill out (and lay himself out with a bad
back for several days) all for the sake of a £2 masonry bit. I suspect I
could have drilled those holes with a 9V cordless and a bit that wasn't
totally rounded off at the tip.
I agree with Andy that good tools are easier and more rewarding to use, but
I'm also a great believer in having, for example, 2 or 3 drills on the go at
once. That way you don't spend half the time looking for bits, and the
workload is spread between the tools.