Converting My Old Mountain Bike - Bafang or Tongsheng?

I have a 2015 Trek Marlin 7 hardtail that's been sitting in my garage for a couple years. I'm thinking about converting it to an eBike instead of buying a new one. I've been researching mid-drive conversion kits and it seems like the two main options are Bafang BBS02 and Tongsheng TSDZ2 [1].

From what I've read, the Bafang is more powerful (750W vs 500W) but the Tongsheng has torque sensing which makes it feel more natural. I'm not trying to build a speed demon - I just want something for trail riding and maybe some light commuting [2].

My main questions are:

Has anyone here done a conversion on a Trek Marlin or similar hardtail? Any issues with the frame or bottom bracket?

Is torque sensing really that much better than cadence sensing? The Bafang is cheaper and more powerful, but everyone raves about how natural the Tongsheng feels [4].

What about reliability? I've heard Bafang has better parts availability but Tongsheng motors last longer.

Budget is around $600-800 for the kit. Any other options I should consider besides these two?

Sources

[1] PeopleForBikes [2] League of American Bicyclists [3] Electric Bike Review [4] NHTSA