And LCT or Inokatsu no longer make the M60, but some people still want that one over A&K.
I am not going to say E&L is bad, but their essential line doesn’t match VFC’s externals. Their Gen2 was closer. Used nicer wood and the finish was slightly different than the essential. I don’t have much personal experience with the spartan line, but I haven’t seen many great things in comparisons online. Pinning and the selector (and to my memory, some of the stampings?) are different on the VFC which is why some want it.
There’s always a balance between price, availability, and features. It’s also quite easy to say there are more available options than the one that has been discontinued longer than a good chunk of players have been alive.