Hmm. Is this still here? Someone just emailed me and asked if I had had it pulled. Well, here goes: First, I'm sorry if my trivial problems have started such a ruckus, and if anyone has been hurt or offended in the process. Obviously not my intention. And I was not slinging mud. Mostly ducking. To answer some of the questions: I did get references. She seemed to be ethical and have a discerning eye (ha!). I did not think this was going to be a Kreiss product, per se. But it was coming from the same manufacturer who supplies Kreiss. She still insists that that's true. No good explanation for why this furniture looks like it does, or why she didn't see the problems. But as someone else pointed out, a court would probably require us to give the manufacturer an opportunity to make it right, so that's why I've agreed to a do-over if the manufacturer won't agree to a refund. The designer has stated that the replacements will be exactly like the Kreiss set or I can return them.

I'm a fan of CR overall....BUT.... NOT in regards to "Coatings-testing" of ANY kind!!!! MY REASONS: * Coatings depend on, to a large degree, the skill-set AND tools of the HUMAN putting them on. * If you let 10 random people loose in the same house, with the SAME paint, BUT let them choose their OWN tools, and assign them to each paint 1 like-size wall in a different room.... * You'll discover TEN different thicknesses of paint, with different final appearances too. * In addition, each one of those walls could very well have a different substrate-issue. * Believe-it-or-no....the COLOR can have some effect on surface-performance as well. >>> I realize CR uses draw-down slides to control WET/applied thickness, but different paints will dry-down to varying DRIED mil-depths. This can lead to HUGE variances in final coat performance. Faron

My recollection has been that the Kohler cast iron enamel sinks are guaranteed. Their advertising shows someone heaving a frying pan into the sink from some feet away and leaving no mark or dent. But, here's the latest version of the guarantee, which sez that Feb 10, 2000 rewrote the guarantee. They're more cautious than previously, but if I read this correctly I think that the chip/dent is still covered and the example above is proof of it. Surface scratches, dullness, and stains and etching from cleaning products are not covered. http://www.us.kohler.com/general/warranty.jsp#ci Joaniepoanie, Kenmore items are usually rated individually by CR, aren't they? Could this be an indication that Kenmore outsources wisely, choosing the better or best products of various manufacturers and/or that it sets certain stern requirements in order to be a Kenmore supplier? Either way, it's not a bad thing. Yes, we all know Kenmore items which have failed, but we also know some good ones that are still a-chugging along. When the CR annual kitchen issue came out two years ago, my range hood got totally blackballed. I was very hurt, as if this were a personal slam. It's important not to take CR stuff personally. (fyi: I now know that this hood is a hard one to install and there is a good likelihood that the test model may not have been properly installed. I'm happy with my product and it's done what I want, but I'm also sure, in hindsight, that the "winner" product must have been a good one. It took me 2 years to come to this wisdom.) [soapbox mode on] I find the tone of this thread interesting. Naturally, being me, I believe it speaks to the defensiveness that comes with splurging on high-end choices. But then, I am not in a high income bracket and my home is not in a pricey enough neighborhood to have been able to allow me to even consider high-end choices. Yeah, I'm frankly defensive about my situation just as posters above feel insulted by CR. Those of us who have modest projects cannot help but feel that there is a prejudice against moderate projects and products on the GW Kitchens forum. Prejudice may not be conscious but it's there. Most recently, there was commentary about it on the "this forum is a drug" thread and I couldn't just giggle when I read it because I believe it's true that we can get addicted to ratcheting up the costs. Put it another way: this thread is in part about peer pressure and the pressure is overt. If stuff is shown in the magazines and the promo pamphlets, does that make it better? Are publicists likely to show excellent low-end products in their photo spreads? Should we use "predominance in publicity" as a symptom of excellence? Think of how an 8th grade teacher could use this thread as a critical thinking exercise. [soap box mode off]

I was turned off to CR a few years ago when they did a kitchens issue, and criticized Blanco Silgranit sinks because they dropped a 5-pound weight from a height, and it chipped the Silgranit. They only did this test for Silgranit sinks. It's not at all difficult to find examples where CR does this. While they love showing a lot of data points in order to impress, their testing procedures and the relevance of the data is frequently dubious. What is more important to them, is that the data is easy to measure, not that it is meaningful in any way. It's about as ridiculous as the majority of sports statistics. That's OK. CR are in the business of selling their articles. Articles sell better, if they are entertaining. But producing relevant data is an expense. In fact, it can take reputable organizations many years to do a single study. CR simply doesn't have the time to do that. Unfortunately, not many other institutions have those resources either. So, it is very difficult to find studies that go beyond just being entertaining. Presumably, companies have this data internally. But it gives them a competitive advantage to know more precise numbers, so they won't publicly say anything about it. As a consumer, we are stuck with having to form a bigger picture from learning about appliances, collecting all the data available, and trying to weigh its relevance to our use case. Unfortunately, in many cases CR provides a disservice, as it causes people to discuss "sports statistics", things that are easy to measure and that won't tell you anything about the reliability, the functionality, or the overall user experience.