I have some of the less expensive acrylic and vulcanite stems that are available on ebay. They are certainly better than MM stems. I do find a difference in quality between even the acrylic stems on ebay and Forever Stem acrylics. Forever Stems are just plain better, and in my opinion, worth the cost. They will last, well, forever.
Even if Forever Stems were not superior (in my opinion), there would be another reason that I will purchase from Walker Briar Works and also Aristicob: they add to the pipe smoking community. There is something to be said for a company like Walker Briar Works that does restoration work - work that I know I couldn't do. I want to see this company around for a long time, and if spending an extra shekel or two on a stem might help with that, I'm quite alright spending that money. And I really enjoy the Aristocob videos on Youtube - and quite honestly, his prices aren't any higher than anyone else for MM pipes, and his service is top-notch. Just a great guy to do business with.
I can understand that some wouldn't see the need for a "Rusticob." But on its maiden smoke yesterday afternoon with its vulcanite Forever Stem, it looked just dandy, and it smoked as good as any of my most expensive briars.
So for me, this is not about how much money I saved buy buying a product from someone else. It's about the smoking community, the enjoyment of the hobby, and hoping that all these small mom and pop shops will be here for a long time to come.
