As a diy-er Always found it funny how YouTubers always have the most pristine tools while professionals will have the dingiest, sketchiest tools. Granted, YouTubers are representing their craft but the two (professional and YouTuber) are very distinct from each other.
It's ok to have tools that look like they've gone through hell and back, because that's the only way you know they have.
This is why I was so hesitant to buy new climbing shoes, even though mine were completely falling apart. I didn't want to go back to being seen as a newb when not on the wall.
This is a fair part assesment, however you also have to consider how people take care of their tools. A 40 year old tool that looks as beat up as a 5 year old tool has been taken care of better by the owner/user.
That said, I feel like we all have that massive sacrificial flat head that's no longer flat, super warped, got electrical bites, and still keeps chugging.
There's also repair outlets that sometimes keep nice tools up front for when a customer comes in and they can fix it quick, but then have bullshit tools in back that for the real work.
I now hold a support function for this offshore system that deals with seabottom equipment. But I used to be a "backdeck monkey" myself. It was real dirty work, because the hardware came back on board covered in mud, clay, and whatever else was down there. We always made fun of geophysicists during man over board drills and such, because their coveralls were always the cleanest, to the point of being shiny.
Mine were so dirty they could almost stand upright on their own. And this despite washing them daily.
Just saw a Steve mould YT short: every time you sharpen a pencil, you're at best removing 2/3 of the lead so that you can use 1/3 of it to write. At worst, your removing like 9/10 of the pencil