If you deal with a major chain retail outlet, the models (model numbers) you probably get are not the same models you will get elsewhere. Usually, the majors buy at lower prices for models to their specifications. That is the reason you cannot find the same model numbers elsewhere if you comparison shop.
Often the foreign companies use the same manufacturing equipment as the U.S., so it just gets down to the specs. Foreign manufactured materials may be built in much more modern facilities than the U.S.