yes and no. if you know how to inspect a revolver you can find some real gems like the Rossi 877. if you don't, some excellent cheap S&W and Colt revolvers can be had on the 2nd hand market (inspect before buying for obvious issues). decades ago, S&W was dumped on by the majority of the gun market (dealers, customers, even agencies) for signing on with the Hilary-hole Clinton provision which cratered their prices and more or less forced them to merge with Safe-T-Hammer. and with lots of people swapping to autos, there are lot,
a lot, of S&W K frame revolvers on the market gently used in great condition, and parts are expertise is plentiful for those that are willing to put in a bit of work now and then to maintain them or work out minor issues from decades of use.
for newly manufactured revolvers, they're still a good buy, with heavy competition from Ruger (and not so much Colt). you can also find a few Taurus gems but it's hit or miss.
to wit: under $300 can nab a good S&W model 64 if you plan on never getting into .357 Mag, and it'll be high quality and cheap.