Early SOTA vs New Something: Conundrum

I’m a Sota fanboy.  Full disclosure.  I heard my first Sota turntable in 1989 and bought my first Sota- a Sapphire III  in 1992.  I traded in my Star this past winter for the Nova Vi with vacuum, mag bearing, eclipse motor with the road runner and a gorgeous cherry plinth.  It is super quiet and stable speed.  I love it.  Best turntable deal in hifi, I think.  
I listened to the Brinkmann turntables last year with my records on similar speakers and a similar preamp.  These turntables look hifi.  They look cool.  The vacuum tube power supply option is about the price of a Nova Vi base model.  These tables have no isolation so they require some sort of isolation platform- more cost. They sounded ok.  I could not hear any noticeable improvement over my Sota.  At least my ears couldn’t. 
‘The Sota turntables have a lot going for them in terms of engineering and great sound.  I can attest to their longevity and reliability.  Sure, the suspension needs refurbishing after several years.  It degrades over time and you may not notice it until you hear a new table.  My experience is that the springs weaken and allow the sub chassis to rotate left and right- torsional movement.  These are very small movements but it affects the pace and the sound of the highs.  They way I found out on my sapphire III after a decade + of use was to chock the sub chassis against the plinth with rubber blocks.  The pace and the highs sounded natural again.  
‘And yes, the Nova still has the well for lead shot to balance the sub chassis. 

Actually, a well designed bearing for the application with adequate lubrication will never wear out. Dirt, heat, overloading and neglect are the demise of any bearing. The trick is for the bearing to never have metal to metal contact. The lubrication is the sacrificial material.

Back in the 1980s I changed the oil in my wife’s 1983 Honda Accord every 3000 miles. When I took it in at 50,000 miles for the valve clearance adjustment the mechanic called me out and showed me my engine. It was clean inside and the machining marks were still visible on the cam lobes. He remarked that it was obvious I kept the engine well maintained.

Same thing with my Sota turntables over the years.  I remove the platter, clean and relube the bearing every few years.