Chris king I have no opinion of. There are far more expensive stems/posts out there than Thomson. They really aren't even all that expensive. Buy they are of very high quality. There is a reason they are so popular. After working with a multitude of seatposts I've come to appreciate the quality even more. Phil woods are also really nice. They may not work any better than formulas but the quality there is also evident. If you wanted a bike that just worked then I don't think you'd be thinking about this so much. Nothing gets me less excited than cheap, reasonable parts.