Are Brother P-touch label makers worth the higher price over thermal mini printers?

For durable, water- and fade-resistant labels, the consensus across reviewers favors Brother's laminated TZe tape system. Community threads in r/Tools and r/BuyItForLife repeatedly describe P-touch units running for years without jamming. The trade-off is that Brother-branded TZe tape is expensive, and reviewers in r/networking openly recommend third-party tape to cut costs. Thermal mini printers like Nelko and SUPVAN are cheaper and app-friendly but use direct-thermal stickers that some reviewers say fade over time.