Are you working with a GC or KD for the project? If not, then you would probably benefit from doing so. They can coordinate the trades that you need for the job, including a cabinet installer. And they probably have good contacts with local shops as well to help you sort out your confusion. Right now it sounds as though you are acting as th4 GC without knowing that that is what you are doing and you re being overwhelmed by the project's decisions.

I thought Kraft Maid was extremely expensive here in my neck of the woods. I priced it through Lowe's and it was my top bid. It was less expensive to go custom. It is also cheaper on the install by about $800 for me for custom. Just something to think about.

KM is a middle of the road line in the industry. Middle of the road usually means cabinets 15K-25K for an average sized kitchen. (National average cabinet expenditures based on national average kitchen remodel costs.( Larger kitchens would be correspondingly more). An average kitchen is no longer 10x10 anymore though. More like 12x14.

If your budget is lower, you have to communicate what your cabinet budget actually IS to the KD. And, you may have to lower you want list as well. If you've been dreaming on Houzz or here, you may not realize how expensive most of these kitchens actually are. Most are easily national average and above. Some well, well, above.

I also am doing the cabinet search now and finding mid priced cabinets is harder than going dirt cheap or high end. Having planned and replanned this for over a year, I will tell you that I have found lowes/hd to be pricier than a kitchen shop. I am pricing kraftmaid, diamond and medallion silverline. If you know what you can live with spending, say that upfront. Know that doing a solid wood door vs veneer drives the cost up by a lot. So does having all plywood. Case in point , from a KD I got 2 quotes for the exact same design. Showplace (all wood) was 12k, medallion silverline ( veneer door, particle board sides) was 8k. I got a Shiloh quote last year, different door but was also 12k vs the kemper 9k. I would decide how much you want to spend, what are the must haves and put that on the table when you get a quote.

Thanks for your input, I am bidding out the kitchen remodel through the KD. I have communicate exactly what I want, painted maple door full overlay, wood box, soft close doors, 4inch crown etc.. My budget is 40k for everything. I'm not getting a new floor. I need 36 linear ft. of cabinets. My confusion lies with which brand to get. Mid continent or Koch. Crystal keyline or omega dystany MC and Koch are middle of the line
Crystal is custom, and OD are semi custom. All the prices are somewhat comparable. Crystal of course being the most expensive. Are they worth the price? I'm not sure. Also mid continent has the best discounts right now.
I'm tempted to get the MD, but I like the crystal. Does anyone have any of these cabinets I'm considering? If so any feed back? Thanks for the help

One more thing, I have rolled out kraftmaid, I have read so many bad reviews I will look at medallion and showplace. Thanks for your input!