For me Surly is one of those things where I kind of like the company more than the bike, but would possibly consider the bikes just because of the company... if that makes sense.

My Giant TCX cost less, is lighter, rides better (depending on circumstances), and is better equipped, IMO. None of that makes the cross check anywhere near a bad bike though. The thing about Giant, Trek, Specialized... they're kind of in the market of "OMG this year we did THIS NEW THING WHICH RENDERS EVERYTHING ELSE OBSOLETE!!!" which every once in awhile brings something pretty cool to the table, if not quite revolutionary, but it gets kinda stale. Surly is more about, "Bikes were pretty much perfected a long time ago, here's that old formula for a great bike, with some thoughtful little twists." Being that they're not a giant of the industry, they can't discount their bikes as much as the big three, even though they're all made in the same factories, so the price isn't usually too competitive unfortunately.