YouTube has content that is credible, and some not so credible. The same can be said about eHam. It's a matter of figuring out who to trust. (or disregard) I've found good info on YouTube for fixing check engine codes on my car, learning how to solder SMDs, troubleshooting circuits, and much more. I've gotten valuable info on eHam as well.
As for Chinese radios vs the top brands, we get what we pay for of course. But the quality brands are way overpriced. Compare them to TVs. My family first got a black and white during the mid 50s for around 200 bucks. There were color sets around that time, but the color really sucked. That was before phase locked loop technology controlled the vertical and horizontal frequencies. Remember the vertical rolling and the horizontal being out of whack? I'm looking at a Sears 'n Roebuck catalog for 1968 and see a Silvertone 18" color for $370. Color was improved by then with the shadow mask among other improvements, but still not close to the quality we have today, only the sets are now cheaper.
So today, we can go to Walmart and get a TV with a much larger screen, a much sharper image, and the horizontal and vertical isn't out of whack. And these TVs are cheaper than what we were paying back then. Keep in mind that 200-300 bucks meant a lot more in those days. So why is it amateur radio equipment now costs so much more? Yeah I know, the market is for a small group, and hams will pay the price. Even though we are "cheap," we still pay for the equipment. With modern technology, TVs can be manufactured for much less, but so can amateur radio equipment.
The Icons, Yaesus, Kenwoods, etc, are no doubt better quality than the Chinese radios. But after paying big bucks, how many years later will parts be hard to find or obsolete? "Sorry, just buy our latest models." I have an FT-1000 and two IC-746Pros that I've manged to keep on life support. Don't know how much longer I can keep this up.
As for Chinese radios, what if they start producing better quality, and offer them at lower prices? And they offer some good base HF radios as well. That may be good news for hams, but it won't be good to give the Chinese more control of the global exchange than they already have. With today's economy, it's tempting to get more bang for the buck.