Same thing happens with boots and running shoes. You pay more once and your body thanks you for years. Cheap gear ends up costing you more in the long run.

That "lifetime warranty" line is the oldest trick in the book, the warranty only lasts as long as the guy who sold it to you sticks around. Had the same thing happen with a swap meet special years back, it read fine on the low end then went totally sideways past 50 ft-lbs and cost me a weekend pulling a cylinder back off. Now I check whatever I own against the shop's known-good beam wrench every few months, takes two minutes and saves a lot of grief. The cheap ones can hold up if you never drop them, but that gear leg redo is exactly the kind of bill that makes the $600 look cheap in hindsight.

Your old boss probably told you the same thing about driving too, and look how that turned out. Four feet is fine, just don't let the inspector hear you brag about it.