Was about to get a toy- then I did some research...

[Chaz]

Thanks for pointing that out! Among European brands (the few I've come across) I find them to be fairly well priced. But maybe you compare them to Chinese models?

On a side note, I never considered getting any electronics from China out of fear of bad quality, but I'm starting to consider my position.

Yep, compared to the cheaper Chinese stuff where quality can range from 'OK' to bad. Keep in mind, even stuff that we consider good like 'Panasonic etc' is almost always Chinese.