Having to work as a food server to pay my way through college and other expenses, I was able to save up enough cash over the years to purchase my first high-end Mapex kit. I still own my old Rockstar Kit, and now that I have a newer kit, I don't mind dings and dents on the Rockstar. But, I do get insanely annoyed when playing the Mapex, and my technique gets a little lazy and my sticks hit the shell, leaving a small dent/ding in the lacquer. THAT is what really annoys, because as Gunter said, those parts of the drums are not to be hit.
I don't mind abused drumheads, logos facing the wrong way or anything like that/ It's just dings, dents, and scratches on my shells and hardware that annoy the crap outta me. Every time one of my sticks makes contact with the tom shell when doing a fill, I know right away that it's going to leave a mark (a permanent one at that) and THAT does not stop bothering me.