I'll try to be as brief as possible. Some info about me: I'm a hobbyjogger from a relatively poor country (would like not to mention it). I started almost 4 years ago. I do about 60km/week. When I started - what shoe to wear wasn't even a thought in my mind - I used whatever I had. Slowly realised that I need to actually buy a dedicated running shoe because of the pounding on the legs. The money was a problem (and still kinda is). One day I did my long run on a buffed out trail and in the end I was genuinely surprised that my feet and shins weren't hurting. Keep in mind I was with my cheap (15$), basic no brand chinese shoe. It had comfortable upper, but midsole was a brick. I ran with no brand shoes for the first year and a half, than saved a bit of money and bought a Pegasus. Yes... I know. I have a few more expensive shoes (still cheap compared to what most runners use) that I baby a lot and use on very flat and clean surfaces and just for specific workout/race. But the bulk of my training is still with some cheap shoes on a few different trails and one cinder running track.
P.S.
My cheap shoe is almost unkillable. Midsole is stiff, can't deform or lose energy because it doesn't give any to begin with. Outsole doesn't wear much because of the soft sufrace. Just the upper gets torn after 1500km or so...
Do you have similar experiences? Do you think you can get away using cheap shoes if the surface is soft enough? Thanks.