Supporting local stores vs the chains is a good thing, but I don't think it's realistic to expect people to pay 2X as much almost for the same tile and I've seen that locally. The big stores they have a decent selection and lower prices mostly. Me, I can't afford to always be that magnanimous when I shop. It's your budget. Only you know what you can afford and what is practical. Altruism is great, if you can afford it, but you can't let it bankrupt you... More on reddit.com

Have you checked them with a straight edge? If they look flat, then they are probably flat enough for sharpening... More on reddit.com

Are they food safe? More on reddit.com

The cheap tile saws are entirely usable, and I would go this route even if you only planned on using the saw for one job. Tile saw rental runs about $40 a day typically, you get a better saw but the blade that'll be on it is a gamble, it may cut or it may chip the tile apart; blades are expensive and rental places usually don't change them until they're nearly unusable. With a new cheap tile saw you'll get a basic blade but it'll cut lots of tile just fine out of the box. Also with buying you aren't rushed to make your cuts to get the saw back to the rental shop, and even if you only used it a few times and decide you hate tiling you can hawk it on Craigslist for $50 and be money ahead over a rental. More on reddit.com