I have tried some of the cheap imported files. You might as well light a match to your money, IMHO. If the file causes you to make a mistake (and they will if they don’t cut right), it has cost you money instead of made you money.
For cheaper files I used to buy Nicholson files. They are US made and are very good quality, especially for softer steel. I usually paid about $5 to $7 locally for a 4" 3-Square Nicholson.
The best files I have found are the Swiss made Grobet.
Of the Grobet I like the Valtitan line for durability. They are supposed to be 72 on the Rockwell C scale. They also dump the filings from the teeth better as they are treated to release the filings easier. Instead of having to card my file after every 2 or 3 cuts, I can tap it on my bench and that gets rid of most of the filings.
They also come in different sizes, 00 -extra coarse, 0 -coarse, 2 - medium, 4 –fine.
Expect to pay $12 or $13 for an 18 cm (7”) needle file.
The larger Grobet Valtitan files are more expensive. A six inch 3 Square is about $24 in medium. The same file in a standard Grobet (non-Valtitan) is about $19. While a six inch Nicholson 3 Square that I can buy locally is about $7.
I find the Grobet Valtitan files are definitely worth the extra money. I used to buy 3 or 4 Nicholson files at a time and wear them out after about 2-3 file work jobs each. I have not worn out a Grobet Valtitan yet. I am not sure how long they will last. The ones I have now have done about 12 file work jobs and are sharper than the Nicholsons are when they were new.
The Grobet Valtitans are faster to use as they cut better & faster. I make fewer mistakes as they tend to cut and not slide on the work, and I spend less time cleaning the file. Since they are available in fine cuts, it takes less time to sand the file marks out the filework. In fact, if I finish with the fine cut file, I don’t have any file marks to sand out of the filework. I can just buff the filework and be finished with the piece. Since they are so much faster I spend about ¼ the time I used to spend doing filework and my old arthritic hands really appreciate that!
I buy my Grobet files at Otto Frei, a supply house for jewelers.
http://www.ottofrei.com/store/home.php?cat=265
The Grobet Valtitan files are definitely more expensive, but for my money they are well worth it!
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