Free UI controls and Docking library for WinForms

As a single developer working on niche market graphical printing applications, I could not afford to mess about getting the wrong UI component library to revamp our existing applications. I spent about 4 months evaluating various suits. I finally opted for Nevron, largely due to the excellent color, docking and command bar features, but also partly due to the fact that they have a real try-before-you-buy policy that let me completely test out their functionality before forking out my hard-earned cash.

Nevron's class structure is very well considered and the various components fit seamlessly together. I especially like the commandbarmanager tool which makes developing docking / floating tools panels a breeze. Their docking controls are excellent and the 'docking hints' at run time certainly make using the software a lot easier - in our case, the user can have up to 13 editing tools on the screen at any one time (although most of the time, the smart user will tab these tools together to make working with them easier). The latest version also includes custom forms, with some very pretty add-ons to regular forms and a nifty little font selector control than can be slotted onto a command bar or any other control. It took me all of 45min to add full text formatting feature on top of this control - such as font color picker, test alignment, font size, etc.
Very nice.

But it is NOT the suit itself that is making me write this review. Since purchasing, I have been *extremely* impressed with the level of customer support and insight I have received from Nevron's staff. As a component library, Nevron UI works well, is practically designed, and looks great...
but it's the impressive responses and help that have really set these guys above the pack in my opinion. In fact, this review is my way of saying thanks to the folks at Nevron for their outstanding support over the past few weeks. If you are looking for a good UI and docking library for .net, I strongly recommend you download a trial of Nevron and have a play.