Guys $18 - $25K scopes are way out of my price range
Just saying that spending a little bit more could be well worth it. Many years ago I bought a cheap Black&decker cordless screw driver/drill. When that started to get flaky I bought a Makita costing twice as much but it is such a joy to use that I regretted not buying a Makita when I bought the Black&decker. Don't get me wrong here: the Makita cordless drill is still far from a professional's tool but it is already a major step up from the bottom-of-the-barrel products.
I have the same story. I bought a $30 POS 1/2" Harbor Freight drill because I only need to drill 6 big holes for one project and why spend all that money on a nice drill. Fast forward and I'm using the drill all the time and the trigger sticks on and the damn thing near twists my hand off. I threw the thing in the trash and bought a $150 DeWalt. The DeWalt is an absolute joy to use compared to the Harbor Freight drill. But, and this is a big but, who knew at the time I'd be using the 1/2" drill all the time? So, do I spend 2, 4, 5 times as much on everything that I might only use once? It's a judgement call and frankly in my judgement a USB scope would probably do my job just fine. Stepping up to a dedicated, well reviewed scope, feels like spending that little bit extra to get a product that will last. Is this a professional's scope, no, and I'm not a professional so the fit feels good to me.
Now, the next question is do I add this to my shopping cart: Cal Test CT4042 Oscilloscope Accessory Kit
http://www.tequipment.net/Cal-Test/CT4042/ It's $65 before the discount and I don't have clue if I need such a thing.