I don't have any experience with either of these wheels but I do agree that Alex is probably a higher quality rim maker than they get credit for.

I often wonder how Bicycle manufacturers decide which rims to put on their lower end models. Obviously price is a factor. My Specialized Allez has Alex DA-16s which are pretty beefy for that style of bike. The stock tires are 23s and they're barely wider than the rims. The upside is that if I forget to put the quick release lever back down after replacing a wheel I still have plenty of braking power ;-)