It really all boils down to if you are comfortable with owning a KO.

I own a couple but I would never claim them as being legit G1 toys nor would I count them as being part of my collection. They are merely display pieces.

Like you, I considered whether or not we would ever see a reissue before making a decision to buy one e.g. Shockwave. It would be ignorant for me to think that if I took a moral stand and refused to buy a KO that eventually the KO makers would stop producing them as KO's have been around ever since Transformers emerged in the 80's.

The few that I have bought are quite high quality - comparable even to recent Hasbro / TakTom reissues. I have even heard that in some cases the quality is better.

Collecting G1 can be quite expensive as you know especially if you're hunting down that 'mint' piece. KO's offer an affordable alternative and at the end of the day, it's your collection and no one else’s.