RE: Educate me about Carden's kits...
Here is another data point for you:
Over half the entries in the Extreme Flight Championship were flying Carden planes. I doubt many of the pilots actually built the kits themselves -- in fact in the Propwash video most of the entries interviewed thanked their personal builders as part of their sponsors.
When I bought my 35% edge, there was a 3 month waiting list. Keep in mind, it's an $800 kit. You can get a pretty good ARF for that cash. I believe the demand is high for a good reason. You can see that Carden planes hold their value in re-sale as well.