It is true that it is ultimately a good thing that ETL came along and offers a a viable alternative to UL. The company's are very different UL is a "non profit" company while it ETL is a company for profit. Their procedures are also different when it comes to inspecting a plant. ETL offers a credible alternative to UL. Their reason for coming into existence was to offer company's that no longer wanted to deal with UL a credible way to market and provide consumer confidence in a product. ETL is in no way an innovator as their biggest claim is to stick to UL standards most of the time. But in the end it is a good thing as both seem to keep each other in line.