Rockwood, I really feel your pain. I just went through the shock and awe myself over the price of these things. This was very hard for me, too. I choked back my reaction to spending money on these for a long time. It goes so deep against the grain in me to pay through the nose for something. Anything. I hate getting ripped off, and these items have to be one of the biggest rip-offs in all of aviation.
Yes, they're very nicely made and all. And I appreciate the seriousness of the job they do to hold your engine in place. But at the end of the day, it's just a couple of pieces of rubber, some nice metal end caps, and a squishy spacer that goes in the middle. There's no way these should cost as much as they do. Come on! I'd be interested in knowing what the company's bottom line cost of manufacturing is on these pieces. You should be able to get all 4 of them for the price of one, it seems to me.
The problem is twofold, as I see it. One, they're "certificated" for certified aircraft. Everyone knows that ups the price into the stratosphere right there. Second, the company has a monopoly. They can set whatever price they want and there's nothing you can do about it. The guys at Vans were very sympathetic to my groans. It's not their fault at all. They explained that they used to be able to get them from another company when there was some good competition. It was a good product, too, at a much better price. But that company isn't making them anymore and Vans now has no choice but to get them from Lords. Apparently, there isn't a big enough market to attract some competition into the arena. Anyway, it's done. So this will be the end of my whining. I can't hang my engine without them, and I now have them on my shelf.