I don't have an issue with that. Kona seems to be doing mostly good things with their lines. The reason I went with them is the small town bike shop I go to carries them and likes them and I trust those guys. I was thinking about a Santa Cruz, but got a pretty good deal on the Kona so I went for it. The only things I would change are the brakes, I would switch to a Pike front fork and a different button for the dropper post. That last one is probably the only one I'll actually change for good long while.
Yeah, like I said, mostly just an FYI. I like to know the OEM when possible.
My thoughts are that these guys make so many different bikes, the name on the label is really a moot point. Mostly comes down to how you like the geometry and how well the welds are done in a few key areas. After that, it's down to the component selection.
FWIW, my Specialized claims "proudly hand-made in Taiwan", and just looking at the styling, I'm a bit suspicious that it's coming right out of the same factory too! But, I can't find any hard evidence for that yet.
I started looking at fat bikes and plus bikes, then I was curious where a couple brands were made (not well known brands), and that's how I found this info on Kinesis.