Urinary cat food for life?

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So my 5 yr old went through quite the ordeal at the beginning of the year with a blocked bladder.
He has been in special urinary food ever since and no further issues.
One vet recommended specialist urinary food and said he would be on it for life another said it would be for 6 months or so.
Apart from some added bits to the food I can't see that it is a decent food overall and wondering if I should put him onto better food after 6 months or so possibly commercial raw plus a cystease (generic) supplement which he currently has daily.
Anyone else had urinary issues with a young cat and what were their diets?

The main reason I ask is because the specialist food isn't the best quality ingredients wise apart from the supplements but it's rather expensive and a lot doesn't get eaten!

After repeated stress cystitis asbo cat is on feliway cystease with no further issues.

I mix water into his food too.

What’s the active ingredient in the urinary food? Asbo cant have cereal so we never tried it.

DL-methionine seems to be the one that all urinary food has in the ingredients list but different foods have different things added, he loves the dry but wet not so much, I might just stick with the dry but add water to his evening bowl to be on the safe side even if it is wasted a bit it'll be a lot cheaper!

My cat had a bladder blockage at 22 months. He was on the Hills vet diet treatment food for a month or two, then I switched to the maintenance diet. When I read the packet it said to only use the maintenance diet for 6 months, and it is bloody expensive. Now he's back on regular (but better quality food), with no recurrences. We also got a water fountain which he does use.
With the special food, it will have reduced levels of certain minerals to prevent crystal/stone formation, and keep kitty's bladder at the correct pH.
I've just bought some Hills dry food for young sterilised males. Mine are 2 and half and 8 months. The youngest loves biscuits. We trying free feeding at the moment because he is obsessed by food.