Thanks so much for posting this. I love my Kanile'a but recently I had been wondering if I should have bought a Kamaka instead. Admittedly, I was feeling prey to the stature and name of "the" Hawaiian ukulele company.
A bit off topic, but sort of like my baseball glove. I have a personalized Nokona buffalo glove. Everyone always speaks of Rawlings and Wilson, never Nokona, mainly because it isn't well known, but that doesn't speak to its quality, just to the fact that it is a small family run business that isn't as famous as its competitors. Sometimes I feel like Kanile'a is in the same boat.
Kamakas are gorgeous instruments (as is yours, I saw your new one on your blog - congrats) but I didn't know if they were technically superior to the Kanile'a models, or just more well known. I had decided to keep my Kanile'a after all, since I love it, but thanks for putting some of my nagging doubts to rest. I really value your opinion since you own, and play, more than just one brand. I think some of us (myself included) tend to be ambassadors for what we buy, not objective arbiters of all the brands. Thanks for your post...
For to bluesuke, I think you can't go wrong with any of the K's. I have almost never seen complaints about any of them, and they all have their glowing fan bases. Good luck to you, and let us know what you choose.