That $8 leaf blower from 5 years ago finally died, and so did my patience

Found a cracked Toro electric leaf blower at a garage sale in Akron last spring for 8 bucks. The guy said it just needed a new switch, so I ordered one for 6 and had it running in an hour. Used it on two falls and one spring cleanout, then yesterday it started smoking and stopped mid-row of leaves. I took it apart and the whole motor bearing was shot, melted plastic everywhere. Probably 50 cents in bearings would've saved it, but now I'm looking at used ones online and wondering if I should just pay 40 for a newer model. Anyone else sink time into a cheap fix that ended up being a lost cause? I feel like that's half the fun of the hunt, but my neighbor's bagger is looking pretty good right now.