BINGO!
For racing you can make the case that every gear counts.
But for recreational cross riding 7 speeds was WAY RELIABLE and cheap. 8 speeds took a couple of years to be reliable on off-road stuff and 9-speed stuff is overkill on a major basis and wears out WAY FAST!
I have friends that are still using their 7-speed offroad stuff and never have a minutes trouble with it. They replace chains once a year. The last time they changed a cog was during the Truman administration.
I'm replacing my 9-speed stuff three or four times a year and having to replace cogs because I'm not fast enough.
I would go back to 7 or 8 speed stuff if I could get it.