I may be wrong, but I have heard that when places make a model, they sometimes change the model number just slightly when they sell it to WalMart. Sometimes stores will say they will match prices for merchandise if you find it at an competitor for a lower price...but it has to be the exact model. So, if the manufacturer has a unique number for the items they sell to WalMart to be sold at a lower price, then the competitor is safe as theirs is a different model number. Is the quality the same? I truly have no idea.