Try STP and you will see it's worth every penny.
Our biggest downside is that we are new and many people are in the process of setting up their tubes on STP, time will prove STP can handle shitloads of traffic with ease. We have a set of unique features that i am sure makes STP stand out from the rest.
Btw, we can't help it that some companies charge more for design than others, has nothing to do with STP. If you can do Smarty than you are more than welcome to do skinning yourself. Also you can have any design company do skinning, DLXER isn't the only company that does design you know ;-)
If you choose Mechbunnies over STP than i would say good choice and good luck with it, we respect Mechbunnies, but we feel it's not the best choice
I would consider Mechbunnies as the only real competitor so if you are serious about tubes than it's either Mechbunnies or STP.. cheers..