How many truly 'great' artists feel compelled to grind their own pigments and concoct their own colors from linseed oil and plant gums? Not many, I'd guess. As in any endeavor in life, the 'stuff' that gets used is/are just tools; it's what skill can be exercised in their use that counts.
It's a slightly 'sour grapes' patronizing attitude common to any field, when the 'old hands' see innovations and improvements they didn't have the luxury of using when they started out. [I'm in my '60s, so I'm fully qualified to make such judgments! 
]
I think your observation about 'whatever makes life easier' is spot-on!