There are two ways to look at shopping for dot net components. You can look at it as trying to find a product or you can look at it as trying to find a partner. You will always end up with better results if you do that latter.
When you’re shopping for dot net components, don’t just look at the product itself. Of course this is a very important step. You need to find ones that first fit your profile.
If you’re working in WPF, you need grids that fit that framework. The same goes if you are in MVC 2, you need ASP.NET controls that support it. Evaluating the product itself is a very important first step. If the .net components don’t have the functionality you need, it’s no use and the search ends.
This is where most developers stop and they shouldn’t. You need to look for a components vendor who will understand the scope of your project, know how their controls fit into that scene, and know how to partner with you to get your application implemented.
This is much more than just technical support. You want top of the line developers and engineers helping you fix bugs, send you patches, build samples when needed and to hold your hand as you build your final product.
Many software developers get burned using third party components because they can’t get the support they need. So whatever you do, once you find out that the controls can do the job, make sure that the company selling them to you can do the job of helping you as well.
Think of this as a long term relationship. You are probably going to be developing software, almost till the day you die. You want a components vendor to walk with you and partner with you all along the way.