I've only bought the X-cord brand, but I'm sure there is an unscrupulous wanna-be out there somewhere hoping to take your money for a cheap knock off.

Very happy (so far) with the X-cord product though. Looked at some 950 survival cord but it’s radically different from the “normal” Paracord we are all used to. While it has a smaller diameter (.11”) than the standard 550 cord (.125”-.15625”), it can’t be burned to seal the ends. It requires glue type sealant or a knot to keep the 950 cord from fraying. Plus there aren’t any internal strands in the 950 cord. It’s made up of 11 strands woven together kind of a in a flat tube and has hardly any stretch to it. I’ve read that some people complained that it didn’t hold knots well but that could be overcome with a different knot type. Amazon is selling 100’ of SGT KNOTS Technora 950 Survival Cord for $34.95 (http://www.amazon.com/SGT-KNOTS%C2%AE-Technora-Survival-Cord/dp/B008J5AUGC), so it’s much more expensive than the 850 paracord.

Some advantages of the 950 cord are that it has a higher abrasion resistance than Paracord and has UV protection. I’ve got a piece of 500 cord holding down the bottom of my backyard hurricane fence that’s going on 4 years and is still holding well so I’m not sure if the UV protection would be major consideration on choosing 950 survival cord over paracord.