Unless things have changed in the years I have been out of the "standards" business, a big difference is that CE is a self-certification system, whereas the US has government testing. The CE publishes the mandatory specifications, but it's up to the manufacturer to determine on its own if it meets those standards. In the US, government testing agencies test each product to determine compliance, and providing all the required documentation is a major factor in the cost. Therefore if ANYTHING changes (ie: embroidered logo) it starts the process all over again.