In the case of the HiPoint, a cheap gun is worse than no gun - because it has a very high chance of not going "bang" when you need it to, as many people have found.
I'd mention the Hungarian and Argentinian copies of the Browning High Power as being good candidates - and they can be had at roughly the same prices as the HiPoints. Other options include Makarovs from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Block.
Names to avoid in pistols: Jennings, Bryco, HiPoint, Norinco.
I tend to agree with you. Especially the HiPoint. My son bought one and it was a piece of junk. They wouldn't make things right with him either. Although, he only had it a couple months.
My advice on a good home protection weapon is a shotgun or a quality .357 revolver. .38s are a little light but you also don't need a weapon that can kill through 2 walls either.
Hey, my Bryco was a really good gun till the barrel cracked.
Norinco? come on, I have a Norinco .45 copy of the 1911A1 I bought about 20 years ago and it shoots just fine. Have no idea how many hundreds of rounds I have put through it. As a matter of fact, the metal is better than the Colt. I do not understand your bias against Norinco. I also have a Hipoint 9mm I bought in a weak moment, but I have put over a thousand rounds thru it without a jam, which is more than I can say for my 92F-which is also my duty gun. Anyway, good to hear from you, and I do agree on the Jennings junk.