Kuat Sherpa vs Thule 916XTR T2 rack

I have the Sherpa, and I love it. It's super light, and rock solid (smaller hitch, no adapter). My only beef with it might be how the plastic wheel holders fit into the metal frame. As long as weather-aging doesn't cause the plastic to fail or loosen, which I have no reason to believe it will at this point, than it's a good design. My only other complaint is that it arrived with more scratches than I like to see on a brand new item. Not deep scratches, but if you play a guitar, you'd know what I mean when I say it looks like buckle rash. I think they should have wrapped it in foam sheeting instead of just cardboard bracing. Also, the frame has a pretty deep nick or two, but they're painted so it looks like the metal was probably banged on something sharp during the manufacturing, before it was painted. It's a minor cosmetic thing, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I want new things that cost a pretty penny to come to me in flawless condition. I did go out and buy some foam plumbing insulation tubes to wrap a bit around the back strap to fit up more snuggly, so I would't have to pull the strap so tight to fit a narrow road tire. I was concerned that over time, that pulling it down at such a sharp angle might lead to braking the strap where it connects to the wheel holder. It's actually part of the holder plastic, not a separate peace.

The Sherpa is new to me, so I can't speak about longevity, but it is rock solid and well made. The hitch bolts to the frame (some assembly required) instead of being welded, probably for shipping size reasons. I suspect if any serious wear occurs over time, it will be rust at those bolts. Thule products are generally constructed like bull dozers, but they also feel like they weight about as much as one, too. I wasn't aware of Kuat, I only found it after much googling because I was looking for an alternative too Thule. I read to many user reviews complaining about them rusting through in a relatively short time. I think the Kuat is a superior design to Thule, but only time will tell about durability and weather damage. I'll probably take it off the car and store it in the attic during winter, so the Sherpa being so light weight was another major thing I was looking for. One of the lock nuts for a wheel holder came with messed up threads that wouldn't take the bolt. Kuat's customer service was fast. I got a human on the phone quick with no hassle. When I asked if they wanted me to send the defective part back, they said there was no need to, and they sent me a replacement part that left them the day I called about it, no questions asked.