RichD:

I'm not sure of the two planes you mentioned, but usually in a ARF you get what you pay for. All ARF's aren't created equal. I have just purchased the new Wild Hare Edge540T for the intro price of $399. My first take on this plane after I got it is, it's the best ARF I've seen to date. The construction is high quality, the wood is grade AAA and the covering is tight, not a wrinkle. Usually in ARF's there's always a few wrinkles from the weather, or just shoddy work from the factory. This one has neither.
Last summer I bought my 2nd GP Patty Wagstaf Extra. The first was excellent. The 2nd was also excellent, but the covering on the second one had wrinkles so bad in the covering it took me hours to straighten it out and it still doesn't look right. (The first was perfect.) This had to be from the factory as the weather couldn't even make it that bad. Bottom line here is the same plane, both of good construction, one had excellent covering, the other was so poor I almost sent it back. This is from a major manufacture. Luck of the draw I guess. Where as the Edge I got from Wild Hare was perfect in every way and they are not a big company.
Every manufacture is different and by reading what others have bought and their reactions to the product you soon learn who is putting out quality and who is not. You get what you pay for. Some more than others. One thing I can definitely say and that is all ARF's have got much better over the years. And now in the day and age of no building time and the demand for ARF's, some deliver and some are out to make a quick buck. Always good to do your 'homework' before buying. Just my thoughts and 2 cents...