Barry II,

Somehow or other it has escaped your notice that one of the most popular forums on this site is the Make Your Own Gear forum. There you will find dozens of people eager to tell you how to avoid buying the products of ANY gear maker, unless you think this conspiracy extends to the makers of silnylon cloth.

It is good to be wary of hidden motives, but when there is substantial evidence that no such motive exists, it is better to let your guard down a bit, look for whatever useful information this site can supply, and apply it to meet your needs.

As TomD said, if you can't find anything here that meets your needs, then all you have to do is drift away. Impugning the motives of the site owners is not really very generous of you, when other, simpler explanantions, which better meet the facts, are available to you.