If your goal is to buy a premium carbine, I don't understand why the choice would be anything other than a KAC rifle. Regardless, the cool kids say Hodge is the best so that combined with exclusivity drives the hype. What I found interesting about the Hodge stuff was how nobody would come right out and say this, this, and that are why it's the best. It was always presented as trust me it's the best or if you know, you know. It may very well be the best thing know to mankind, who knows?