I've not heard the Chequerplate snare, but it looks nice... and SPENDY!
Gregg would know if someone was offering a competitive product. I'm lucky enough to live in Seattle and own one Kep (6x14 black iron) and have played MANY more. Nothing else barks like his drums and I have no idea how they are so sensitive, but they are. My Keplinger is my go-to snare in the studio. I find the steels to be a bit sharp for smaller rooms, which is why I went with the black iron, which I think is just a raw, very low nickel steel, not really iron. I'd encourage you to hold out for a Kep, but that's just me. I love the guy and the drums are incredible.
Where the Arbiter is concerned, I THINK I played it at Tom's Drum Store on Denmark Street in London. He wanted something like GBP 250 for it, which I thought was a good price. I came back to buy it the next day and he told me it had been in the shop for six months and the guy to walk in after me scooped it up. It was thick and heavy as hell and they are quite rare. Additionally you will have to deal with the, ehem, quirky tensioning system Arbiter used. It had similar tone to a Kep if I remember correctly, but since that shop is smaller than my closet and there were two other customers there, I couldn't really lay into it.
Best of luck. For your price point, you should be thrilled with whatever you decide to get.