I bought my DW Collectors at the time my dad was slowly dying because of cancer. I cared for him 24/7 over 4 months, feeding, changing diapers, washing him and much more you don't want to know more about. While slowly going nuts about the circumstances I had to take some action in order to cast the whole situation in a positive light. That was the moment I decided to spend part of the inheritance into something stupidly expensive I normally would never pay for. It took seconds to decide for a new drum set from a brand I was always digging - DW Collectors.
I could have bought a SONOR but it hasn't the same meaning to me. It's a German company and it's as famous as DW. So even starting with early musical education one is confronted wit SONOR stuff all over the place. Recorders, chimes, shakers, whatever you use in any educational environment comes from SONOR over here. This is why it is perceived as some random standard and the foreign stuff is the hot shit I guess. Maybe this is why lots of Americans dream of a SONOR while lots of Germans dream of a DW - it's always the foreign fruits that seem juicy. Also the SONOR SQ2 in this constellation would have cost even more.
That's how it came that I ordered a top notch drum set from the US. They are even better than expected, I absolutely love them - without becoming a fan boi - it's just drums, still.