I just brought out my Kanilea, KoAloha, and Kamaka tenors to try against each other and jog my memory. Initial impressions:
Aesthetics:
1st: Kanilea- that UV gloss finish is just a winner. Also has the most elegant fretboard of all of them.
2nd: Kamaka- Nothing more, nothing less than what you would expect from a Kamaka.
3rd: KoAloha- Love them, but unless you find one with a crown style bridge, the KoAloha is probably the most plain looking one of the three.
Volume:
1st: KoAloha- Can easily be pushed to higher volumes than the other two, but can still be played at piano (but not PPP)
2nd: Kamaka- Middle of the road volume, what you would expect from a Kamaka
3rd: Kanilea- I must caveat this by saying that I do have a Fishman Matrix infinity installed inside which may be reducing the volume. I believe it was louder than the Kamaka when it had the stock Aquilas on it (versus GHS on the Kamaka), and no pickup inside. Does have lots of control at the lower volumes.
Tone: (Very subjective)
1st: KoAloha- lots of bright, responsive, penetrating tones with nice percussive tones avaliable when you want them
2nd: Kanilea- a very resonant tone, that as mentioned above, can be played very musically
3rd: Kamaka- as previously mentioned, it's that traditional tone that is very safe and you can't go wrong with, but IMO isn't that special
Out of the box setup (somewhat irrelevant since I have them all set up anyway):
1st: Kanilea- No issues, buttery smooth out of the box. Not a huge fan of Aquilas any longer, but they do provide the best stock strings, IMO--a nice touch.
2nd: Kamaka- Action was a tiny bit higher than iwould like. And for some reason, doesn't like the Worth Clear low G very much.
3rd: KoAloha- The action was a bithigh on my tenor out of the box. They can remedy that for free if you take it to the factory. I did it myself with a bit of sandpaper, and it plays just as well as the others now.
Overall Reccomendation:
1st: KoAloha- Yes, it has its flaws, and in some ways, I would describe the KoAloha as being the most "primitive" of the three tenors. But if I am reaching for one of my tenors to play, it is the KoAloha about 60% of the time. The thing just plays. And I love the volume and the tone. Now that I've set it up, it is one of my favorite ukes. I highly reccomend it if you aren't looking for that very traditional Kamaka sound.
2nd: Kanilea- It's a stunner looks-wise, and you have a lot of control all the way up and down the dynamics range, and the tone is rather rich. Love mine, and it was the first quality uke I purchased.
3rd: Kamaka- You can't go wrong with the Kamaka-- traditional looks and traditional sound--but I'd personally take a chance with one of the other two.
However, I believe that you really can't go wrong with any of the three. You'll love whichever one you choose.
I'll probably do a more complete review of the three sometime this summer if I find the time.