It seems with the AR line up theres as many accessory manufacturers as rifle manufacturers.
So, at the end of the day what *really* drives your purchasing decisions?

Lets take rails. You can get a free float rail from a number of manufacturers....DD, LaRue, KAC, YHM...the prices range from in the 100's to well over 3. How do you decide which to buy?

Or rifles. You can get a Bushie, Colt, Wilson, RR....the list goes on and on. Prices can vary from around 700 to well over 2000. How do you decide what you want?

Essentially, all the products should work relatively the same. All AR15's will shoot 5.56/.223, most will shoot pretty well. All railed foreends will attach and accept all the general gear for rails.

How do YOU decide what to spend your money on? Name brand? Looks? User reviews and recommendations? Whats used by the mil/leo crowd?

quality to price ratio (is it worth the extra $$$s?)
utility
looks

previous user recommendations also help

Quality OR availability of funds!

Quoted: Quality OR availability of funds!

How do you determine quality? Most AR parts are all mil spec and as such interchangable. How do you differentiate between buying a $100 rail or $300 rail, or a $700 gun or $2000 gun knowing the specs will be (for the most part) the same?

I buy the items that have the exact feature set I am looking for.  I dont care about name brands or price.  For example I wanted a 4 rail system that was FF and as light as possible.  I bought a DD 7.0 rail.  I wanted an upper that used 4150 steel barrels and had true M4 feed ramps.  Only choices were LMT and Colt and LMT cost less for my build.  Its easy once you figure out what your requirements and desires are.  If you dont have a list of requirements how can you buy anything?  Thats how I bought my car too.

Rails bolt stuff on them is not a requirement or a spec.  Do you want oto fit a gas block under the rail? A suppressor? Is weight more important than extreme ruggedness?  Is price a factor?  Do you care of the grip circumference is huge or you have to reach really far to use a thumb activated light?  Are you capable of installing and maintaining the item you want?  THose are the kinds of questions you need to ask.

First off I buy what works for ME, not because ARFCOM member Joe Snuffy has one and it looks cool.

When shopping for a railed HG I could not afford a KAC set up. Did I really need a KAC set up simply to mount a light and vertical grip…..no. I looked at alternatives that would serve my purpose, fit my budget and were made of quality materials. With that in mind I went with YHM.

For tac lights I did not have $250-$300 to spend. I saw Surefire G2’s were being used with good results so I purchased one. With the addition of a shock isolated bezel and clicker tail cap I have a light that suites my purposes and meets my budget. I’ve been running that light for a couple years now through hundreds of rounds, jolts, drops, you name it…..it still works.

One more thing that influences my decisions is whether or not soldiers are using this equipment in combat. If units are purchasing a certain item and think it’s suitable for their guys then that plays heavily on my decision as well. I’ve seen both the YHM 4 railed HG’s and SF G2 being used in Iraq. If a item can handle the daily abuse given to it by our guys in the field then surely it can handle Quibs range time abuse or stand ready for a home evasion scenario.

I read up on what I want. I look up user reviews and pics here and I kick around how much I need/want the thing.

Then I search for the right price in the EE and if I find the magic number I buy it.

What I bought because of ARFCOM

Magpul XT panels
the cantilever mount addition for my Aimpoint/Arms set
OTAL
Magpul followers

The rest of my junk I bought because of previous knowledge and/or actually touching them at gun shows.

ETA: I am happy with all of my purchases I made "because of ARFCOM" The only fun item I bought was the OTAL beucase it is just too cool. The performance of all the my junk has satisfied me.
The only item I have because of the .mil is the M4 barrel.