It would be rare to find someone who has ridden both the Raleigh, Atlantis and or the Sam Hillborne, but according to the internet (not the Rivendell site reviews) the Atlantis seems to be favored over the Sam, but that's probably due to people who would go to Rivendell to get a bike have more disposable income and would lean more towards the more expensive Atlantis. Do keep in mind that the Sam pricing hasn't been updated since 2012 on the Rivendell site so I doubt seriously that is still the price. Having said all of that I seriously doubt the Atlantis is worth another $1000 more than the Sam. I also don't think the build kit that Rivendell offers is all that great, they use to have nicer build kits but I think they're struggling with over building and customers not wanting to pay more and losing sales so they toned down the build kit in an attempt to get more customers.

I also think that any quality vintage lugged steel touring bike will have a similar feel to what the Atlantis and Sam have, so if you being new or used doesn't matter to you then save a boatload of cash and get a vintage bike. You can always upgrade a vintage bike to suit your needs and still be far under the cost of a new bike. My main touring bike is an 85 Schwinn Le Tour Luxe that I ride in it's stock form because it was so well equipped from the factory there isn't any need to change anything except converting from downtube shifters to barend, but so far I haven't had the need to do that.

If you really prefer a new bike and lugged steel is not a big priority there is a the Kona Sutra which comes with a slightly better build kit than the Sam but with 700c wheels instead of 26, but comes fully ready to tour with racks front and rear plus fenders front and rear. The Kona fully equipped cost about as much as just the build kit for the Sam! But of course it doesn't have the wow look factor of the Sam. See: KONA BIKES | 2014 BIKES | ROAD: FREERANGE | SUTRA