My understanding is that Drake sold the design of the SW8 (and maybe
the R8B??) to Eton.

Drake no longer sells the Satellit 800 or any other SW receiver. Drake
decided it was best to sell the plans to their receivers rather than
continue manufacturing them as current prices would be too high for any
kind of market with the competition from imported receivers. Notice
all the complaints in this newgroup about the $499 price of the Eton
E1, yet the Satellit 500 and the Satellit 700 both sold for $500. The
Drake SW8 was just under $800 and nobody complained about the price.
Of course Drake quality is higher than Eton's, but most of us like
getting a new radio every few years, and very few care about getting a
receiver that will last 20 years or so. I paid $900 for my Satellit
650. Great quality receiver. But my $500 Satellit 800 has better SW
reception and many more features. Not the great sound quality of the
650, but a fantastic selectable sideband sync detector as well as
fast/slow AGC.

If the E1 is a great receiver, then it is well worth the $499 price
tag. Pay less, get less.