Lexjet Sunset is MUCH whiter than Fredrix 901, which is probably due to optical brighteners. Sunset is capable of really bright, rich prints, and when comparing the gamut graphs considerably beats a well regarded canvas who's initial is "L". 901 by comparison is more subdued, definitely a few shades darker.
The overall texture of each is in what I think of as the middle range.
The single roll of 901 I have for reference shows a texture that is notably polarized in one direction across the width of the roll. The unkindest comparison would be to the corrugations in cardboard, but much subtler and with texture in the 90 degree direction as well. That's pretty standard for most canvases.
The texture on Lexjet is a little more symmetrical with only a very slight bias in one direction. The unkindest comparison would be "screen door" but it actually doesn't come off that way on the wall. Both landscape and portrait orientations prints on Lexjet Sunset can be displayed side by side without a noticeable textural difference, which is not the case for most canvases.
901 probably prints a tad sharper than Lexjet Sunset. Neither prints as sharp as Fredrix 777 Vivid which also has one of the finest canvas textures I have seen.
Unfortunately Fredrix does not have particularly admirable quality control, which is why I have switched to Lexjet for medium and low end work. Lexjet Sunset is one of the most consistent canvases I have seen, which really matters when you're doing production. The last 10 or so rolls of Fredrix I have used had serious problems with improper winding that led to head strikes on the edges of the rolls, and also 2 or 3 conspicuous weave discontinuities per roll that were enough to cause rejected, 8 foot long pano prints.
I understand what you mean about the expense of testing. But in comparing samples I have received with the actual on-the-roll product, there is often quite a difference. Canvas textures sort of mutate over time, and I have seen sudden major changes in the texture and brightness of canvases more than once, as for instance a major sea-change in Epson Premium Canvas Matte about a year ago. Best to order a roll of current stock of whatever canvases you are considering before buying any volume.
