EricTheDood
Contributor
Like anything in life, first stages can fail. If you find that acceptable or not doesn't change the fact.
That's a gross oversimplification.
First stage failures due to factory defects are exceedingly rare. Manufacturers have put forth effort to make things this way in both design and execution of their products. While I understand that failures can still happen, I'm comfortable with the probabilistic odds of failure with regards to new first stages from reputable brands.
On the other hand, first stage failures due to improper servicing seems to happen with a level of frequency that I'm personally uncomfortable with. If it doesn't bother you, then that's your own prerogative.