I agree with Stringreen. Nobody is forcing anyone to purchase any of VPI's upgrades. The products speak for themselves, and certainly any of his current tables are pretty great in the most basic stock form.
But it sure is nice to have the option of trying to squeeze a bit more performance from your rig, and in most cases, that's exactly what happens with most of VPI's upgrades. Certainly, some are better than others. The SDS, Super Platter, and outer ring have provided a big increase in performance, while the HRX feet have not. But that's ok. In the end it's my choice, and I'm happy to have he option.
VPI is a terrific company that provides good products, good value, and good support. That's good enough for me.