Pi-hole Blocking traffic with host file: - Android - iOS/Linux/Windows - Windows Hopefully, those changes won't permeate to Chromium/Brave, but I have my doubts.
Pi-hole is basically plug-and-play, users only need to change one or two router configs, but I suppose you're now going to complain about the cost and having to faff with another appliance hogging another one of those precious electrical sockets. EDIT: Seriously, though, putting your bellyaching aside, you can simply paste a pre-made host file into C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts. Just make sure it comes from a trustworthy place and be aware that you need to update it manually every once in a while.
You're right to the extent of how Brave/Opera/Vivaldi implemented their own blockers (I have no idea myself), but when we talk about codebase as large as Chromium's, it's very easy to miss things. Not even in a 'conspiracy' sense (e.g. something malicious stuck in a crucial binary blob inherited from Google, IIRC Chromium still has those despite their years of effort), just a simple, honest mistake. Frankly, I recommend Pi-hole/hostfiles regardless of browser. It just makes things easier in the long run.