I agree, query builders make it much easier to re-use code (e.g. putting the same CTE or expression in multiple queries without assembling strings by hand) and

I agree, query builders make it much easier to re-use code (e.g. putting the same CTE or expression in multiple queries without assembling strings by hand) and support multiple database backends (e.g. placeholder syntax differs). I really recommend them. ORM vs raw SQL is a false dichotomy.