I have all brands and types of pins. If a sewing item is a great bargain buy I buy it. I prefer Iris straight pins for the sharpness and IBC glass head pins for ease of using. The flower head pins are great but will bend easily.
Most brands have different levels of quality for different markets. The Singer machine needles you buy at Walmart are not the quality you buy from a Singer dealer, thus the big price difference. The quality of steel that is used in Japan for pins and needle making is much better then the steel used to make pins in Germany or England. If I see pins/needles that say made in Japan I buy them.