You'll think I'm crazy but I can't help feeling a little weird about all these $200-300 "stoner" fuzz pedals on the market. Early doom & stoner was always about riffs first but it was also built on using whatever cheap gear was available. The idea of using a Spaceman fuzz in a doom band seems laughable, like spending $6k on a Travis Bean guitar and playing in a Misfits cover band. Ultimately it doesn't matter, play whatever you want, the riff is all that matters. I've certainly used expensive gear to play obnoxious thrash metal. But don't feel like you need to spend a ton of money to sound like Sleep because you don't.
Yes and maybe no. I hear you about the actual gear used being what it is, and over-engineering a boutique pedal to mimic a cheap one can seem a little silly. However, if part of the Al sound is cranking his amp to 11 and I can't/won't crank my amp to 11, or if I have a class-D head which doesn't react to being pushed to 11 (or even 10) the same way as Al's gear, then perhaps a pedal that captures some of the amp's role/sound in the equation is useful for getting that sound at a lower volume. If I need to spend a few extra bucks for it, then I will.
Also, if I'm gigging regularly, and the DOD box isn't as rugged as a boutique builder's pedal, or as consistent at producing the same sound, then I'd pay a few extra dollars to have a more reliable, robust, consistent piece of gear.
I also really seem to enjoy the interpretation of certain builders. I know that many Dunwich boxes are clones, but I also like Nick's spin on them.
Lastly, if I can afford the price of supporting a cool, small business that builds pedals in my country (vs. overseas), then I'll buy direct and drop a little extra for that, instead of feeding my funds to a chain store for an import.
I realize my post makes a few points, and I don't mean it to pick apart your post. Instead, I'm stating how I think through my buying decisions, since I've spent a few extra dollars on boutique clones, and run a polite class D head. In the end, use the right tool for the job, and if it sounds good, it is good. I do agree that there are folks who unnecessarily overspend (from my perspective, YMMV), or feel dissatisfied because the can't afford to buy fancy gear.