Gear is always a goofy subject. Everyone has different ideas on cost and such. I do NOT believe you get what you pay for. THAT is bull.If you are buying expensive stuff on the idea it is best, you would be wrong in many cases. I got some cheap boots for riding that are fairly comfortable, all leather, well constructed, and thick. You can bet I did not spend anywhere close to $100 for them, more like 40 and maybe they might not be uber super spaceman stuff, they will probably do the job just as good as anything else.
I also got a jacket from jc whitney. It is a mossi and it is constructed very well. Most of the seams are triple stitched and some areas are quad stitched. The outer layer is a thick textile with a couple thinner layers underneath along with the shoulder and elbow armor about 5/8th inch thick AND dual density. it also has a padded neck line and back panel. It has vents under the arms and along the back. the shoulder and elbows are also reinforced.
I got cheap gloves that are ok though. Nothing super. they will still protect but I do want to get better gloves. in this case, cheap did not do good but then you can get a pair of $30 gloves that will probably do as good as $100 gloves.
My helmet is also another weak area. It is a modular and while that is not bad on its own, the chin bar hooks are not very good. It is still better than no helmet or a half helmet but it is still a weak point. The rest seems built very well and at the time, the price was right. When I can I will probably get an hjc symax2.
I have no riding pants. I am sure that is a HUGE no-no to some. Well I guess maybe they have never been poor.
If you cant get riding pants, get good jeans such as carhart. They are thicker than regular jeans and so will hold up better, then when you can, get OVERpants or larger riding pants that you can wear as over pants. Then you can wear shorts if you want and are still covered.
Bottom line, do not buy just because of brand. Look at the items, fell them, try them on. Pull on the seams. If you do this, you will see what is good and what is not and you might save some cash that you would have spent buying blindly on the idea that good always costs more.
So I guess you DO get what you pay for but that does not mean buying stupid.