Ask HN: Is beta testing even worthwhile?

I'm manufacturing robot development kits out of my garage, and I'll be all set to start taking orders in just a few weeks after the design is completed and functional.

Is beta testing worth my time? I suppose it lowers the risk of finding out bugs/defects in the robot after it's shipped, but if people are willing to pay for the product, wouldn't you just want to go ahead and take the cash?

My concerns are: (1) getting stuck in dev/alpha/beta testing purgatory (i.e. I want to move quickly) and (2) there could be great variance in product feedback from paying customers vs. beta testers borrowing a robot.