I've done A LOT of research on starters over the past four days, including reviewing this thread. I spoke with Nations, Larry B, Brian from BTS and Clay from RiffRaff today. The two Denso starters mentioned above have only the name and housing in common. The internals are completely different quality wise. Larry B's is a genuine Denso; Nations is an aftermarket. I tried to find a Bosch; I looked at NAPA's along with several other chain parts stores. Please note, I'm not knocking aftermarket starters here.
I also spoke with Paul at Mean Green, their 7.3 Powerstroke starter is a 5.0 KW and has a two year warranty and lists for $399.00. Even better, they're near Pittsburgh PA, my hometown. We're planning on visiting later this week. This starter has a unique adjustable flange to allow for changing bolt-up location, i.e. the starter rotates in 20 degree increments. I would have definitely purchased this starter, but not knowing what was wrong with my truck was driving me crazy, I had to get her running.
I paid $314.00 for a new updated Motorcraft Visteon starter; it has USA on the sticker.
I did have to file my truck's starter cable terminal slightly. All I can say is WOW! Truck has sat for a week in cold temps (single digits including zero, and it's in the 20's today); after I installed the starter, she fired up in less than two seconds. Oh Ya! I'm glad I went OEM on this one.