Originally Posted by OC Roadie
I would say that Co-Motion and Santana make the best tandems out there, but you will pay more.
While I would agree that Co-Motion and Santana both make outstanding products, the folks who sell and or who own many other brands would probably disagree unless you quantified "best"... and even then they might take issue with you.
There are just too many variables to allow any builder or owner to objectively claim one brand is simply "the best" unless they were pegging it to perhaps a market segment, product niche, or some aspect of their reputation. For example, Burley and Cannondale probably offer the "best" value with certain models. Co-Motion offers the "best" precision TIG welds, "best" steering geometry for certain teams, and the "best" warranty coverage for second hand buyers. Santana has the "best" marketing approach, the "best" catalog, and is perhaps the "best" known brand-name.
Just my .02.
P.S. Erickson actually makes the best tandems (See what I mean).