I take most gear reviews with a grain of salt. Here are some of my observations, which agree with several other readers:
If you take most owner's opinions - whatever they currently own is "the best".
If you look at most magazines their biggest advertiser will usually have "the best" and if you look at whomever gets the worst review, or is not included, they usually are not an advertiser!
I once talked with a diveshop owner/instructor while on vacation. I walked in wearing a "brand X" cap, which he made the mistake of pointing out to one of his prospective buyers. When I said to him, "Let me tell you about that "brand X" gear", he quickly humbled himself and begged me to shush. After the customer left, disillusioned, he admitted that I was right, "brand X" would last forever with little or no maintenance and that he himself usually dived with my brand! (He admitted that he couldn't get a dealership at his location)
In other words....who can you trust? Trust no one. The school of hard knocks is bulletproof. What works for you works best. Big names and big bucks aren't always the best. I've seen some decent stuff in off brands and I have surely seen many lemons in top brand names. Use good sense, good judgement, and proceed slowly. Usually a company that has a good reputation for standing behind their gear, way down the road, builds reputable gear. JMO Norm
