so, here's what I tell new divers. In scuba diving, looking good is about 70% of being a good diver, the other 30% is all mental. If you look good, odds are you are doing it properly.
Now, for gear, it doesn't matter if it's neon orange yellow and green, and you thank God you are sober ever time you look at it because you'd get a headache otherwise, or if it is solid black with sexy red or blue accents. If it is high quality gear, and it fits you properly, it is worth paying a premium if it fits or performs better. Unfortunately you haven't told us what the specific gear is, or what the price point is. It is all order of magnitude and what you are sacrificing to go from one to the other