Diamond Reflections VS Medallion Designer Gold

13 years ago

I have done tons of research on here and it seems to be the consensus on this site Medallion is a better cabinet quality wise than Diamond (from Lowes).

I got a quote from an independent cabinet shop with an awesome KD for Medallion that was about $1500 more than my Lowes/Diamond Reflections Quote. Both cabinet quotes will have same materials/finishes with pull-outs and a few other extras.

I noticed that Diamond's back though is 3/8" plywood thickness in back whereas Medallion is only 1/8" plywood back. Is this a huge deal?

From reading on here I also gather Medallion to be better at finishes, such as glazing. Is that a correct assumption?

At this point, I'm tempted to go with Medallion since the KD has about 18 years experience and very knowledgeable. I was unimpressed with other KDs at Lowes/HD.

Would appreciate any feedback, thanks!

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Comments (5)

cabinfo
13 years ago
Some companies make cabinets with no backs at all; it's my understanding that the plywood in back shouldn't be very important structurally if the rest of the cabinet is good. They just keep you from having to look at the wall when you open the cabinet.
I'm partial to anyone that is not a box, walmart, or Best Buy type store, so I'm prejudiced toward smaller shops. The big companies tend to be kind of faceless monsters, especially when there are problems that need fixing. Does the Medallion crew know that they're getting beat by $1500? They might be able to talk to their Medallion rep and get some of their cost knocked off.
jtkaybean
Original Author
13 years ago
Thanks. The brochure for Diamond doesn't offer many details about the other parts of the construction whereas Medallion does. The more I read about Medallion (they were rated high by Consumer Reports) the more impressed I am. It also appears Medallion really knows how to "finish" their cabinets, compared to Diamond?

Yes, the Medallion rep knows of Lowe's bid. I'm going to see if they can throw in some extra pull-outs or something as well as get another quote from a different Medallion seller. I agree--I want to stay with a small, independent shop vs bix box stores too. Thanks again so much for your response :-)
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bmorepanic
13 years ago
On a framed cabinet, the back is non-structural. It's there to control dust and improve the appearance. There is a rail on the top and bottom - either in front of or behind the back. The rails are structural and used to attach the cabinet to the wall. Occasionally, something like an open display unit or hutch is built with a structural back.

There are a lot of elements to structure - the dimensions and materials used are part of structure - but so too is how much stuff is hot glued, stapled instead of mortised, have or are missing braces, use plastic parts or have poor quality control. There are at least another 27 things I'm missing saying and about a hundred fine points I know nothing about.

It's very difficult to tell without talking to people who've had the brand installed for a long time and even that may not be very meaningful as the brand may have changed during that time. Plus, the ones who respond tend to be the ones who've had good experiences.

So, when you're out kickin' the tires of cabinets - ask them to show you uninstalled cabinets and look at how well they are assembled. Do they have streaks of glue, extra holes, staples or other fasteners that don't look like they were put in right, thin parts, unsanded wood, chipped or dinged wood (or wood products) or parts that don't look like they were cut right. In a good cabinet, the part you don't see will be just as well made as the parts you do.

Finishes are somewhat in the eye of the beholder. My eye says medallion :)
cabinfo
13 years ago
Remember too that manufacturers change over time. A cabinet made ten years ago by X might have been improved upon. X might also make garbage now compared to what they used to..
happy2b…gw
13 years ago
Did you know that Medallion also manufactures Schuler sold at Lowes? The Schuler styles and finishes are very similar to Medallion and the quality is same as well. If you do not want to work with Lowes, maybe if you mention Schuler to KD company, they will come down in price. Good luck

Diamond Reflections VS Medallion Designer Gold

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cabinfo

jtkaybean
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Diamond Reflections VS Medallion Designer Gold

Comments (5)

cabinfo

jtkaybeanOriginal Author

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bmorepanic

cabinfo

happy2b…gw

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jtkaybean
Original Author