[QUESTION] thinking of getting a 7 or 8 string but know nothing about them

as i get older my style is really changing from what it was and i think having an extra string or 2 would really help me uhm find my own voice or refine it i guess. thing is i dont know shit about them not sure which brands are worth it or not.

see when i was very young i played with a pick up until about 13 then i got hurt pretty bad and was stuck in bed for quite a long time. while there i dropped my pick and just kinda stopped using one since i couldnt get out of bed to get it. i learned that i could basically play everything without one as well as with one. so it evolved into a weird metal style.

as i got older i stopped playing in bands as much and focused on doing whatever i wanted which has turned into a lot of stuff where i use both hands. its not that djent stuff and not the tapping all the time with both hands stuff but i do it enough that id like a guitar that would make that easier and when playing i often feel like man if i could just play a bit lower rather than having to move the chord higher in the progression itd work better or man itd be nice if i had another high string.

kinda thinking an agile since theyre pretty cheap and i wouldnt feel to bad if i spent the money on one and it turns out i dont like extra strings or i was thinking of a carvin/kiesel neck through and making one.

and to give you an idea of what kinda guitars im more used to i play an old mij tele bone stock then a mim tele with a wonderbar emgs and i use the heaviest strings i can find on them. got a schecter with the lp style bridge then an old lp i rarely take out any more due to damaging the neck so many times. bunch of other ones that ill play on occasion but really the teles and the schecter are the work horses.

im unsure if i should start with a 7 and go to 8 if i feel like i need it or just start with 8

i dont wanna spend a ton either since this will be my first foray into this. i think under 700 would be a good budget. then if i build or buy one id really like it to have the versatility in sound that my teles do. so im really unsure of how to get that with a 7 or 8 string guitar i really think the neck joint and the fact the body is basically a big square of wood have a lot to do with it.

anyways any suggestions or guidance would be greatly appreciated