Is it me or is there a grey area in finding base oil components in an MSDS sheet? Sometimes the %'s just don't equal 100. So then do we really know what were buying??
Is it really just base oils that lubricant providers are selling to the uneducated? How about effective additive chemistry, perhaps some un-noted ester content, and a total package that's able to take just about what ever bizzare conditions the consumer throws at it in what, 3-5-7.5-10K miles? I haven't a clue really, but even if I had the resources and knowledge to make my own lube....
In some ways, business is just business - you take what you can get unless you have/need the proof to be able to demand more. Aside from API standard testing, I don't think any consumer is ever really going to see that comprehendable proof that justifies the cost. So with that being said, move to the next product that seems to have a better price point of one's liking. I have my indicisions, but at least API testing is there to give me some piece of mind.