The policy you end up with has less to do with which company issues it and more to do with who designs it. Same carrier, same product, two different agents, and the ten-year cash value can look like two different assets. So before anyone runs an illustration for you, interview the person holding the pen. Here's what I'd ask.
Ask how the commission changes with the design. Blunt question, fair question. High cash value designs pay the agent less, sometimes far less, than a max-commission design of the same premium, because more of your money goes to work for you instead of funding the sale. An agent who explains that trade openly and shows you the design anyway has answered a bigger question than the one you asked.
Ask them to show you the split between base premium and paid-up additions, and to explain why they chose it. You don't need to master the mechanics on the spot. You're watching whether they can teach it, because someone who can't explain the design probably didn't make the choices on purpose. The split itself is covered in Base Premium vs. Paid-Up Additions: Getting the Mix Right.
Ask what happens if you hit a rough year and can't fund the full amount. A well-built policy has flex in it, and a good designer can tell you exactly where the flex lives before you ever need it. Ask how close the design runs to the MEC line and what guardrails are in place. And ask whether they own a policy like the one they're recommending. It's fair to know whether they've made the commitment themselves.
None of this requires you to become an expert. The questions do the sorting for you, because a real teacher enjoys them and a salesperson endures them. If the answers feel like pressure instead of teaching, keep looking. The get started page lays out the process we use, and questions are welcome at every step of it.