I recently purchased a Senhaix 8800 Pro, and I'm very happy with the button feel. It's currently available on Taobao for less than 500 RMB. However, be aware that the battery must meet 3C certification (under 2000 mAh), otherwise the courier will refuse to accept returns. I ended up keeping the 8800 Pro after comparing it with the 8600 Pro. Of course, there are other models like the Yitong 6900 (which I personally don't find appealing), and the iRadio UV99 (which seems too large). The Lingtong 9100 is also a good machine (although I think it doesn't look like a traditional walkie-talkie). And the QuanSheng K6 is definitely worth considering (though I personally don't enjoy constantly fiddling with it, and I might buy one in the future). Currently, I really like the BaoFeng 5R mini. It's a great backup radio. The difference between 2W and 8W communication range in the city center isn't significant; it's just that 8W has higher radiation and consumes more power. These are just my current thoughts, and I hope they can be helpful to you.
Additionally, if you don't have a license, you can simply listen and not transmit on the repeater. Alternatively, you can purchase an RTL-SDR dongle with an antenna to receive many different signals.