High End cartridges and the built quality

I have always suspected that the sample to sample difference between cartridges of the exact same brand and model can be about as large as the difference between one of those samples and that of an entirely different brand and model, given both are similar in electrical parameters and stylus shape.

For reasons that probably would not stand up in court, I have the impression that Ortofon, at least in their higher end offerings, maintains better quality control than most, despite Stringreen's justifiable lament.