I don't know if a service like this should be "seriously special" after two years. What is that supposed to mean?
Kalphiter set out to provide dedi hosting to people and he does it effectively for a good price.
Kalphiters service is vanilla. It might not have a fancy interface, and its got its rough corners, but its a fine solution to hosting.
His service is no frills, but thats not a bad thing. And whatever happens, at least its created a sense of competition that has nudged Lub to make sure his service will be premium.