I use lots of freebies, if they fulfill a certain need.
Now if someone else thinks I am wasting my time checking them out, then they are wasting their time thinking about me! Simple.
And how do you know if a plug-in is good or not if you don’t try it out? 
I am away from the studio currently so I cannot look some of my faves up, one or two I go back to regularly, M30 Reverb, Whirlpool (delay)… I will have to make a list next week, time permitting.
Some of the entries in the annual KVR challenge are excellent. 