Brand Comparison question

[philipeggo]

Mods feel free to move this i just didn't know where else to put it.
So ive been wondering it seems like we all default to the same 2 or 3 companies when it comes to products here. DD,Troy,Larue , my question is that do we love these products because they are legit better or are people turning into label whores? Im asking because being of limited funds and trying to put put together what i feel to be a good AR im looking for effective/quality products i dont care per say whether it looks good i just want it to work good. I noticed on another forum they use MI,YHM,GG&G and a few others a bit more than we do here. I just happen to like this forum better , so i stay here and only occasionally peek over there.Point being is that how much real testing is going on ? is a DD Rail really 200 dollars better than a YHM rail that installs the same way and is made of the same material? Please dont limit responses to just that scenario i just wanted to give an example. And please dont flame me too much i know you get what you pay for SOMETIMES, but if i could have a functional product at a cheaper price then so be it. The focus of this is more so towards odds and ends not so much barrels/uppers etc. Phew im done, have at it. Dont eat me.

[ASH556]

DD rails are the lightest on the market. Larue mounts are some of the best, but I wouldn't hesitate to use ADM or Boboro (my preference). Don't leave out KAC either. Top notch gear there. What you typically find with MI, YHM, and ARMS is a failure to update technology. Their products are awfully HEAVY compared to DD, KAC, Larue. Troy's sights are very common, but their rails are very heavy (TRX Extreme excluded, but it's not a true quad rail either). YHM is notorious for having out of spec rails. Their FF rails have not anti-rotational features and they WILL rotate on you. Sure you can buy cheaper stuff, and look cool for all your buddies that don't know better. You mention that you don't see those brands (YHM, MI, GG&G) mentioned much on this site as compared to others: Consider the source. This site is mostly comprised of Dealers, Armorers, Competitors, and former and current LE and MIL. (i.e. people that really know WTF they're talking about) The same cannot be said for other sites.

[philipeggo]

DD rails are the lightest on the market. Larue mounts are some of the best, but I wouldn't hesitate to use ADM or Boboro (my preference). Don't leave out KAC either. Top notch gear there. What you typically find with MI, YHM, and ARMS is a failure to update technology. Their products are awfully HEAVY compared to DD, KAC, Larue. Troy's sights are very common, but their rails are very heavy (TRX Extreme excluded, but it's not a true quad rail either). YHM is notorious for having out of spec rails. Their FF rails have not anti-rotational features and they WILL rotate on you. Sure you can buy cheaper stuff, and look cool for all your buddies that don't know better. You mention that you don't see those brands (YHM, MI, GG&G) mentioned much on this site as compared to others: Consider the source. This site is mostly comprised of Dealers, Armorers, Competitors, and former and current LE and MIL. (i.e. people that really know WTF they're talking about) The same cannot be said for other sites.

Thanks for the perspective,i was hoping someone would understand the point i was trying to get across and not think i sounded like an ass.

[Iraqgunz]

My brand "allegiance" is reserved for the products that I know work either from my own experiences or those of people I trust.

[Dunderway]

There are some good quality, lower priced components out there that most people here wouldn't stear you away from even if they wouldn't use them. Troy rails are very affordable, MBUS sights instead of Troys or KACs, etc.

The problem I have is that most people just buy cheap shit that they don't even need. I never understood why someone would want to put a $60 UTG rail on their gun when you can get a good set of milspec M4 handguards or MOEs cheaper.

[variablebinary]

I stick pretty close to LMT and Colt when it comes to complete rifles, uppers and lowers.

If I were adding more companies to my list it would be KAC and DD.

[TehLlama]

We tend to look at a very finite set of characteristics here:
Weight
Consistency
Durability

DanielDefense, KAC, and the TROY Extreme are among the lightest handguards available; LT, Bobro, and ADM are among the most consistent optic mounts.

If you look at threads like the "oh no, I bought a ..." thread, you'll see that a lot of us have purchased something, and been disappointed with it, and eventually the trend has been towards a smaller set of brands that produce better stuff, even if it costs more.

There are A LOT of inferiour parts out there, but for folks that demand functionality, a sort of Darwinian process of discarding junk is always occurring. It's not that plenty of people aren't using other stuff, it's just that rifles built with Colt/BCM/DD/KAC/TROY/LT/Aimpoint/SureFire/MagPul (yes, I know I left out a few) parts seem to have the least problems.

To your example: while a DD rail may not look $180 different to a novice shooter, for a lot of folks it is in fact $60 cheaper to start with the DD rail instead of starting with the UTG one, getting frustrated with its shortcomings, and they buying the DD one. I'm not saying the UTG won't do for plinking on the weekends or on a dedicated .22 kit, but on a go-to rifle, that the DD, or even an MOE or stock handguard might be a better choice.

[ETA] I'm partial to Colt, BCM, DD, Noveske, KAC, LMT for complete rifles. I own too much TROY and MagPul stuff to count, and more Aimpoint, Trijicon, and Surefire stuff than I'd care to shake a stick at.

[philipeggo]

Thanks again for the responses like i said i wasnt trying to sound uninformed or silly more like trying to confirm that we do go through a real selection process and that products are not being discarded simply because of a name. Now if my Upper from Accurate Armory would ever get here ....::sigh::