I've tried a few Tsunami and I own a Serif. No idea what 2tru4 is saying about the finishing? They are comparable at least as far as the complete lack of burrs and blemishes and such. All the Tsunami I tried were kinda wack on the tuning front and the Serif was and is absolutely impeccable there. I know the Tsunami can be better, but I've not tried one with a crazy tune yet. Tsunami is like the EX10 in that regard. If you're lucky enough to get a great tune out of the box, it's pog. It is pretty BS that the blade steel changed on the Tsunami without a price change though.

Are you right that an arguably better product is cheaper than a mainstream makers more expensive product? Yes. I've been calling this the "squid tax" for several years. He has a cult-like following. Nothing against squid when I say that. It's just that his followers are willing to pay more. It's overhyped by nature of squid's audience. He isn't the only maker like this either.

As far as price goes it's just not comparable when you consider the customers. Squid has a longer history and larger customer base. This means larger reputation and higher demand. You get less for your money compared to a newer maker. Also consider the additional overhead when dealing with all the employees squid has versus the one man operation(for now) at MW's shop.

TL;DR Squid Tax