I have an issue with brands as thats what they are just a "Brand" and you pay accordingly.
I dont have a specific issue with the "Big Boys" in the tuning industry, only I disagree with their business practices of taking out the smaller companies or amalgamating them into their own, swapping and changing about ultimately to generate more business for themselves (Awesome GTI) or buying other companies products an sticking a label on it and calling it something else to squeeze more money out of people (APR/VWR) and paying for a name is a no go for me (Forge).
Its like Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic TV'S etc, most TV components are made in one of 2/3 factories, they are then shipped for assembly and costs vary depending on "brand", essentially your getting the same TV internals in different boxes and at vastly differing prices, why?, you pay for the name/perceived quality.
Its the same in the tuning industry, only takes 1 man to crack an ECU code and to license it/sell the knowledge to different companies and they then make 1 or 10 differences to it based on what competitors are doing, same thing different prices, why are prices higher than others for essentially the same thing?, more aggressive marketing?, buy outs/mergers?, happy to pay for the name?, percdeived quality or all of the above?.
Each to their own I guess, for me tho, I personally ignore the big boys and support the smaller companies that breed competition and hopefully keep prices in check, if the smaller companies did not exist Do you think the big boys prices won't go up?
Anyway back on point, Milltek- could I have bought one, Yes, did I?, No, Why?, Cracking issues (Which I know they fix under their guarantee, but if they are that good/quality should they crack?), Just a profit margin rather than valued customer, another reason not to own one = everyone else has one