In my experience, if there is truly a "need" for a lens (or anything else), there is no need to ask anyone else what to do or what to choose or what to buy. The choice will be obvious, or can be made to become obvious with a little research.

I have amassed a few lenses over the years. Exactly three of them were chosen based on a specific need. The first was my Nikkor 17-55 mm f/2.8 zoom which was a very necessary replacement for my very first digital camera lens...an 18-70mm Nikkor junker that was forever useless right out of the box. A little research and a couple of questions at the camera store led directly to the solution.

The second was a Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8 wide angle needed for a night sky workshop. For that, I needed a fast lens with a wide view and manageable distortion for stitching panoramas. Again, a little research and a quick to a different (although admittedly less helpful) camera store led to an obvious choice. The third time was when I needed a macro lens to take some photographs at work.

In each of those cases, I could have made a different choice. It would have also solved my problem. The world would not have ended, although it is possible that I might have been a little less happy at some point.

I don't do what other people do. There's nothing about anything I do that requires that I make other people happy. I don't care what they think about what I choose.

Be a little bit brave. Make a choice. Move forward. Quit looking sideways and backward.

I asked that question cuz I couldve written exactly what you wrote, yet I was curious on two points about rentals:
1. I suspect that the vast majority of "rent first" advisors are just a parrot flock and ......
2. If anyone actually really does rent, has it ever proved useful (major error prevented).

Number 1 seemed obviously the UHH parrot flock, but number 2 was mild idle curiosity.

When I buy something I never consider renting, nor would I ever ask the clown car nor search out their prior threads. Weve all seen how that looks.

Have I ever had regrets about a purchase ? Yes but such regrets involve quirky aspects of the gear such that the clown car would have no clue, and a brief rental would not reveal anything. The relationship of ISO and burst settings is downright weird on one camera I acquired recently. Irritating, and if I cant tolerate it Ill sell it. No big deal. Time will tell.

I asked that question cuz I couldve written exactly what you wrote, yet I was curious on two points about rentals:
1. I suspect that the vast majority of "rent first" advisors are just a parrot flock and ......
2. If anyone actually really does rent, has it ever proved useful (major error prevented).

Number 1 seemed obviously the UHH parrot flock, but number 2 was mild idle curiosity.

When I buy something I never consider renting, nor would I ever ask the clown car nor search out their prior threads. Weve all seen how that looks.

Have I ever had regrets about a purchase ? Yes but such regrets involve quirky aspects of the gear such that the clown car would have no clue, and a brief rental would not reveal anything. The relationship of ISO and burst settings is downright weird on one camera I acquired recently. Irritating, and if I cant tolerate it Ill sell it. No big deal. Time will tell.