Okay, so we know the that the Viking unit is made of 1018 steel. This is your normal, everyday run of the mill(pun?) steel. What is the Warn(or other units) made out of? Is it a type of steel that was selected for it's forgeability? If not, they should re-evaluate.
Reading the description, the Viking unit is made from
a billet of 1018 steel, meaning square stock. I don't see this as misleading if you know the etymology of the term.
The Warn unit offers a 1 year warranty from orginal date of purchase; what does the Viking offer?(couldnt find the info on their site)
As for technique, forged items are less expensive due to the mass amount units made; this is the justification for the method and costs involved. CNC is great for small batch, precise runs. This inherently drives the price up.
And now for my own little pseudo-parable:
When I bought my Engel, I needed a slide. I did not want to pay the $270 for the ARB one, and thought I could make one for less...thought being the key word.
All said and done, I spent about $75 on good material(mostly the cost of bearings for the roller mechanism), and put rougly 8 hours in to it. At $30 an hour(cheap compared to normal shop time) that put labor at $240. Without figuring in the cost of consumables, or even OH&P, I spent upwards of $315 for a $270 product that doesnt have as high a quality of fit and finish.
My slide won't fail, and still functions the same as the ARB one, but as I said, the ARB is better, and I would have paid $315 for it, had I known better.
For those of us that won't be buying the Viking unit, I doubt they care; we're not on their radar.
And, if you take the time to browse through the site, you'll find a shackle receiver just like the Warn and Terflex units, for a very similar price.
You are paying for something semi-unique and different, and if you do that, you either a) want people to know that you are buying something unique and different or b) you don't care what other's think and you do what pleases you.
EDIT: How many of you have actually tried this product? Aside from the technical and quantitative aspects that can be compared between two similar units, the rest of your comments are qualitative postulations.