Ain't no jealousy involved, spend enough at some shops you too can become a team rider

Personally I find it quite funny that people look to particular sailor & buy the gear they are using because they say it's good or going well. Good sailors will go well no matter what they ride, they will ride brand x & it is the shizzle, next season they will change to brand y & it will kick the ass over brand x in their eyes (they have to justify the change to themselves & then everyone else).
Listen to what the local guys have said, then take a look at their histories on gps team challenge- then eliminate natural progressive improvement and you will see that many have set their yardsticks 3 or 4 years ago- this contradicts what has been said regarding how good their gear is.
Also many don't read what guys are actually asking, and will just offer up brand x because that is their thing to push, sometimes the gear that has been suggested is good for their level & not the level for the person asking the question. So many times I have seen sailors go backward because they've listened to what their local gun has said, or bought a bargain from them and the gear is such a big leap for their level that they go slower, spend more time in the water or go from getting some gybes to none, or the gear they get is far too fragile for their level.
In the end none of it really matters cause most of the gear the major brands put out is pretty good. Getting the right gear is objectively identifying your level then finding what suits you.