"What is everyone's opinion on these?" - My opinion on these is that they are the best tip-up on the market.
"Are they worth the extra money compared to some of the cheaper options out there?" - To me, absolutely.
So any inquiry that approaches "What is the best type/brand of tip-up?" ...well wars have been started with less lol. What I can share is my experience with the Arctic Fisherman tip-ups (aka "Beaver Dam" tip-ups).
I have several Beaver Dams that are 20+ years old which I still use regularly. I have friends (and some parents of friends) who have Beaver Dams at least twice that age and they still work great. So the longevity is definitely there.
I also have a handful of Beaver Dams which have been purchased over the past three seasons. Are the new ones as awesome as the old (20+ year) units? I would say, not quite. They do not spin as smoothly. But, they are well constructed and still have a smoother spin than any other tip-up I have tried. And my hit rate and hook-up rate seems to be the same on my new Beaver Dams as my old Beaver Dams.
I will add that I believe the current quality of the Beaver Dams is better than it was ~12 years ago (when Uncle Josh Bait Company acquired Arctic Fisherman LLC). IMO, the product's quality took a hit for a few years after that acquisition. Note that Beaver Dams are now sold under the Acme Tackle Company, which was acquired by Uncle Josh Bait Company ~10 years ago.
I have tried several other board style tip-ups. Results - mixed, but nothing nearly as effective nor durable as the Beaver Dams. The plastic HT Polars work, you will catch some fish. They are not anywhere near the quality nor smoothness of the Beaver Dams. IMO - you would be better served putting this money towards an Arctic Fisherman. We occasionally fish with people (usually younger folks just getting into the sport) who run HT Polars. Even when rigged up in similar fashion, they never seem to have as many flags. I cannot be certain, but I attribute this to the smooth, low-resistance rotation of the Beaver Dam reels.
Over the years, there have been several copycat designs of the Arctic Fisherman: Frabill 1664 and Celsius WDLX-5 are still out there, HT has a version and I believe they used to have other similar versions, South Bend used to have one, and probably others I am not recalling. I have tried a few of these. Again, none of them match the quality nor smoothness of the Beaver Dams. Also noteworthy --> the line-guides on these knockoffs tend to be cheap, bent, paperclip-like with a pinch-point and lead to line hang-ups and tangles. The Beaver Dam line-guide is a smooth casting (no pinch-points) - I have never had line get snagged up on one.
Time and again, I have seen people new to the sport start with HT Polars or wooden copycats. Sooner or later, they all switch to the Arctic Fisherman.
To anyone new to tip-up fishing and unsure about spending this much on a tip-up, my advice would be to see if anyone you know fishes with Beaver Dams. They would likely let you fish with one or more of their tip-ups if you go out with them. You will see for yourself.