What budget torque converter?

The thing about recommending a cheap converter is that we have no idea of the quality of the cheap converter. A hundred dollar converter may be a quality part and work fine. On the other hand, a two hundred dollar eBay special might be complete garbage.
I'm very happy with my used 340 converter in my big block, but I knew the person well, I knew the car he took it out of, cause I was there.
How would I know if some rebuilder special is any good? How could I recommend something I know nothing about. A converter is a mysterious item. You can't look at it, inspect it, measure it, to determine if it's good, bad, or what it's claimed to be (other than physical size).
If I make a recommendation of a known quality converter specialty company, I can expect a pleasant outcome.