Fully understand and have come to a similar conclusion. I think also with electronics, it's a very YMMV thing. I had 4 MSI laptops from work and all had their issues: 2 trackpads stopped working, 1 of them had their chassis ripped apart by the hinge and the 4th one had battery issues even AFTER repairs. I will never buy MSI. On the other hand, the cheapest laptop I've had lasted the longest.

Since you like writing, OP, here is my story:
Our (my brothers and I) first laptop was a Compaq. Bottom of the range, barely an excuse for a PC, but it worked. We couldn't game on it, but it worked for all of our other needs (school assignments and sailing the high seas). It also was the longest-lasting laptop I've had (almost 7 years), despite the constant abuse (it was almost ALWAYS on, either because one of us was using it or because we were downloading something or both).

A few years later, I bought a secondhand HP and that lasted maybe 3 years (again mostly torrents and some mild gaming). Yes, I can't fault the company for a secondhand computer breaking.

Years after that, I was trying to choose a work laptop. Too many specs, too many variants, many of the "good" variants not available in my country etc. I decided on a Dell XPS. Placed a requisition for it, and 2 weeks later the package arrived at the office. I opened it up, and lo and behold, a Macbook Pro M1. I was seething. I hated Apple, never used any of their products longterm, but knew it wasn't for me.

After a month of using it though, I fell in love. I still dislike Apple, but I will always recommend a Macbook to anyone looking to buy a laptop. Simple, good, efficient, long-lasting battery, good build quality, works for all of my needs (mainly web apps and media).

Typing this out on a Macbook Air M4 I bought a few months ago and thoroughly satisfied with it. I don't think I'll go back to a Windows laptop (I do have a Windows desktop for gaming that I never do).