A little secret - tonally, the biggest difference between the cheap and the more expensive resonators is the quality of the cones.
Everybody uses the same small range of parts. You can buy a cheap resonator that plays well (like the Cort or my Jay Turser), and upgrade it easily by doing some basic setup (trueing the spider, cleaning out the shelf on top of the well) and upgrading the saddle and the cone.
http://elderly.com/accessories/cats/MIRS.html
http://www.firstqualitymusic.com/sf_93/c_7/resonator-guitar-parts.aspx