My fascination with crankbaits

I have to admit a fascination with crankbaits. For some reason I find it interesting that so many companies can make something that looks so much like what the next company makes, with a similar action, similar color and simlar price and somehow be "the" crankbait company on the market. To me, part of the joy of being a fisherman is the tackle, the "thingness" of it; and crankbaits are, to me, the pinnacle of an angler's obsessions. Something made by Rapala does not act like a Mann's, or a Norman's lures, or a Strike King lure, or a Bandit lure. Yet they each catch fish, for seemingly indescribable reasons. Obviously, the angler throwing them levels the field. Yet to me the mystery of the difference is part of the beauty.
One thing that doesn't seem too mysterious to me is their application. They seem to be a lure best suited to a specific set of conditions. Cranks are obviously a noise emitting and water displacement lure, making them well suited to stained water conditions. They're also great deflection lures, producing strikes on hard structure (like submerged timber), especially when cranked from a distance. Where they're not so great is weeds, which is where my frustration comes in. I come from the northeast, where smallmouth are more prevalent but where largemouth are easiest to catch in small ponds. A lot of the small ponds I fish are full of weeds. Let me say that again: a lot of the ponds I fish are FULL of weeds! This does mean lots of fish--I caught a giant (near 4#) pickerel yesterday--but it also means a lot of hours of picking weeds out of hooks. The only solution I've found, especially if you're fishing from shore, as I am, is to become a better angler and "find" the fish. This means fishing the edges of weeds and creating a reaction strike. And this, too, is a mystery to me, which is also a bit of a frustration. How many hours can somebody fish without catching anything and still be happy? My limit is somewhere around 3 hours, sometimes a lot less. But I have a tough time not wanting to tie on something that looks so enticing . . .