Conclusion, If you see something you like, and you know your way around an airplane, and are willing to do what it takes to do it right without cutting corners, then you will save some money with their planes.
That sums it up pretty good.
My Yak's covering looks great and hardly ever needs to be shrunk, however when it does shrink it pulls away from the edges, the color separates from the clear film, etc. The design was stolen from a top designer (with the instruction manual) so the airframe is great. Covering looks great but is crap, all the hardware had to be tossed (or cut off the plane and tossed), I can't get replacement landing gear (they sent a generic gear that wouldn't work) can't get a new cowl or canopy if I need it, etc. I definitely got a project, but I saved some money. I knew what I was getting into though, which made it OK. I wasn't at the stage of the game where I was ready to spend $450 on an airframe.
There are tons of places to get planes, depends on what you want. You talk to people and find new sites all the time. Or you can search by manufacturer. If you want bang for the buck with cool scale-like planes, Black Horse Models, Phoenix, and Seagull are all (pretty much the same) great companies where you will be impressed every time you open a new ARF.