I tend to agree with all the posters. Narrower chains can work fine, but by definition demand tighter manufacturing tolerances to get the same reliability, so will either cost more or fail more.
IMO people liking different brands is because every so often a batch of 'Friday' chains slips through. On these the links will crack or sideplates fall off at random because the chain making machine was out of adjustment and there's not a lot you can do about it other than inspecting the chain every few rides. You do need to be careful not to blame the chain unfairly, since a bashed tooth or bit of jammed debris can easily damage a chain.
Worst I've had was about 10 years ago when our cycling club ordered a set of 10 chains, of which about 8 came apart over the next couple of months, ruining quite a lot of club runs. More recently a home made cadence magnet managed to jump off the pedal axle and stick to the chain, causing some odd shifting until I worked out what had happened.