I may be a be a bit of a fanboy to Arc'Teryx but their stuff flat out is bomb proof, Marmot is my second go to with both companies using Gor-Tex material. The Arc'Teryx Alpha SV is my heavy duty jacket I use for alpine climbing and snow sports, it is expensive at $500+ but it is consistently rated as one of the best hardshell jackets on the market. I've never had the Alpha SV wet out even in the longest torrential downpours. My everyday rain jacket is the Marmot Edge softshell available only from REI, it packs down well and breaths great. The Marmot is very trim fit, which I'm a slimmer person so trim fit is one reason I like the Marmot Edge shell so much, it fits like a glove. The downside to the Marmot Edge is it is single layer material, so it does sweat a little more than multi-layer shells and will chill your body faster than a thicker or multi-layer shell.
Cheaping out on rain gear is a lot a people's worst decision when they are stuck miles away from shelter and a storm blows in out of no-where.