IME, Again limited to high current 18650s and some drone batteries, what the "reputable brand" and added expense gets you is post manufacture QC and maybe testing.
Like most other things from China when you go cheap the first thing you lose is QC. The design is OK, but was it made to the design specs? Cheap wrenches are not the right size and round off bolts, cheap screwdrivers are not properly hardened and break, cheap lithium batteries are not properly cell balanced and heat sinked and explode.
In that paradigm you can effectively evaluate risk based on brand name and (to a lesser extent) cost. The better batteries are built with care and tested to ensure they meet specs, and can be trusted to perform correctly.
This is not necessarily gospel, just what I have seen in my hobbies.