Well, like anything that's viewed highly in any industry, the brand selling it has some leverage to price themselves higher and suffer little to no loss in sales. I wouldn't doubt in my mind Akra's price is partially to keep them at a "premium" level.Probably, probably not. Depends on what you're looking for and really want. A lot of people question if Akra is worth the cost they sell for, but a lot of other people buy them without thought.