At one point in my life I designed bathrooms and kitchens. I’ve sold thousands of faucets. Here’s a few points on regular retail faucets in the US.
Expensive faucets, you are paying for the design (Grohe), or for quality parts (Kohler).
Cheap faucets are made with cheap parts and are often old designs from major brands. These knock-offs are sold under store brand names usually (Aquasource/Lowes, Glacier Bay/Home Depot) and are made of cheap plastic. Avoid these unless you plan on replacing (rentals).
If you buy Grohe, don’t buy a US made model. Another company paid to use the name and ‘style’ in the US but the interior parts are cheap plastic bits and some things are modified to reduce the cost of manufacturing. Not worth the extra money they charge.
For most people I recommend sticking to the big names. Moen, Delta, Kohler, etc. They come with good warranties and parts are available everywhere.
You can still find really neat old faucets and repair them. Chicago, Price Pfister, Eljer had some good stuff back in the day and you can get new parts from Danco.
At 23 I was miserable but managed to survive. Early 30s I had a job that teenage me would have begged for and thought unattainable.
I’m in my mid 40s now. Starting life over from scratch (don’t own any furniture, dishes, don’t have any friends). I’m depressed as hell nearly everyday and working a dead end job.
But my life of experiences has shown me that shit changes without warning. And plenty of other people didn’t ‘make it’ till they were my age. So I’m still here, hoping that something will finally work out in my favor.
Life is a rollercoaster, don’t assume the bottom of the drop is the whole ride.