I'd like to think that was true, but my investigation into aviation life rafts shows that may not be the case. There are significant, potentially life and death differences between the various rafts offered, and price certainly seems to have some correlation with life saving capability, though high price alone is no guarantee of performance. We've seen many high priced rafts that we cannot recommend. Because the differences in price can be significant, and the differences in capability generally not very obvious, pilots and operators often opt for the least expensive, perhaps not realizing the tradeoffs they are making in safety. Often, the only goal is to meet regulatory requirements at the lowest possible price and weight, as short-sighted as that attitude may be.
Safety never enters into the equation.
You can't expect a small valise weighing from 12 to 75-odd pounds to afford the luxury of a yacht or cruise ship. Many don't offer the sea faring capability of one either, though some are the option of last resort when the yacht itself sinks and acquit themselves quite well. Many pilots consider rafts to be a necessary nuisance, the majority don't even consider them necessary. Unfortunately, the vast majority of general aviation pilots probably don't realize that most of the rafts they are relying on for their over-water safety are downright deficient in one way or another. Some are seriously deficient in our opinion.