I vote for not being locked into one brand! I personnaly looked for the biggest bang-for-the-buck I can/am willing to afford/spend at the time. I have tools from HF and I have DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Ridgid, Bosch, Craftsman etc.... etc... etc...
I usually research the heck out of things before I buy, and I haven't regretted a single purchase, except for the jig saw I cheaped out on and went with a B&D... horrible tool! But, I don't use a jig saw too often, but maybe if I had a nice Bosch I would use it more!!!