In developer-of-tract-homes-speak, "production grade" means the basic stuff that goes into the tract, as opposed to model home upgrade. "Builder grade" might be a synonym. It's not a good thing. Sorry.

I have the Kabinart cabinets and they're very well made. Much better than MFD boxes. It's plywood. So don't know what bluekitobessed is referring to about 'not a good thing'.

That's why I'm stumped, Beth. I compared the specs to Kraftmaid and except for thinner sidewalls (which don't do anything), Kabinart seems at least as good or better.
I'm also wondering why I can't find anyone but you who has used them. They look good to me - your's are beautiful!

Picking cabs is almost impossible - too many brands! How did you settle on Kabinart? Had you seen them in person somewhere? Did you look at a bunch of brands?

Thank you!

Val

Looking at the specs of both cabinets, IMO:

Kabinart is constructed of better materials than Kraftmaid unless you upgrade to the Kraftmaid 'all plywood construction' option.

I don't know what 'production grade' grade is but Kabinart is definitely a cut above 'builder grade'. No particle board, no MDF. Kabinart has 3/8'' plywood sides, 5/32'' plywood backs, 3/4'' plywood shelves.

I'd like to see thicker plywood sides but, at the end of the day, I would definitely prefer 3/8'' ply over 3/4'' MDF or particle board.

Hope that helps!

Weeelllll...

I'm not familiar with the brand, but plywood doesn't prove that the cabs are well made. A Chevy with leather upholstery isn't a BMW. May be adequete to your cause, but its still a Chevy [I know-- I have one].

The quality of the hardware is far more important in day to day liveability, and well constructed doors with matched grain and color matter more in terms of appearence.

YIKES!! Tropicals.. I did a ton of shopping around and created a spreadsheet showing the specs of each manufacturer. The spreadsheet included all the cabinet parts: back wall, side wall, hanging strip, drawer box, door face, joint construction, etc. The materials, the thickness etc. I color coded each aspect "best" to "bad", Kabinart had mostly the "best" color with 2 "next best" ratings. Many of the other companies only got that score after 2 or 3 upgrades (Diamond, Kraftmade...). Then I went and saw displays of the manufacturers to see what you got ... finish, feel, etc. I really liked the Kabinart. I saw a few companies from the lower end of my spreadsheet and you could tell the difference between them and Kabinart. Now that I have the cabinets I'm really happy with my choice. I think that they are just a really great value from MKF. One of the kitchen designers here in Concord uses Kabinart and she buys them direct for the same price as MFK is offerig them. I think you get a Cadilac for a Chevy price by cutting out some of the middle men : )

Bethv -- Any chance we can get you to post a sample of what your spreadsheet looks like? It sounds great. I'm working on one of my own and am looking for guidance.

Plywood is only an "upgrade" in a some consumer's minds. Plywood comes in many many grades, while "furniture board" (NOT partical board or MDF as I often see it referred to) is manufactured to much more consistent specs and a higher density than plywood and is more dimensionally stable and when melamine coated, easier to clean. Overall, furntiture board performs better, and is less costly, and is more "green".

Thicker sides are better sides. Sides and backs are structural. There isn't a single unimportant part when it comes to framed abinets. Yes, the face frame is the most important part, but couple a strong 3/4" solid wood face frame with poor quality thin plywood sides and you still have a poorer quality cabinet. But, even poorer quality cabinets are very well constructed compared to poor quality site built cabinets of the past. Even builder's grade cabinets meet KCMA standards and will support heavy granite countertops. KCMA standards are minimum standards though, and there are plenty of manufacturer's that surpass those. Thicker IS better, but even thin is stable when properly attached to a wall.

For the most part, the biggest difference in cabinet construction isn't really structural. Kitchen cabinets from many lines will be structurally sound for many years. THe biggest difference is the quality of wood used for the doors (and face frames), and how that wood is finished. That is usually what separates the builder's grade cabinets from the mid to high range ones. Better quality wood finished to a higher standard will always be more costly. Better quality cabinets will have better hardware and better more easily cleaned interiors. Melamine is preferred as the finish surface of the interior for that reason.

Bethv: I know there are many of us out here that are interested in finding out more about your research. I know I am going crazy with all of the specs. That's not the hard part though. The hard part is that there are rarely any prices attached to any of these specs.

What is MKF or MFK? You mention buying from them at a discount?

Okay I'm going to answer one of my own questions. MKF is Meramec Kitchens & Floors. I copied the name from another of BethV's posts. I've learned so many things here, but I forget so many things just as fast...

I do hope you'll still help us by sharing some of your research.

- Jim

Great explanation Live_Wire_Oak! I wonder if we could get it added to the FAQs?

"Furniture board" is just marketing speak for, you guessed it, particle board. That's not maligning its suitably for making cabinet boxes out of, but there's nothing magical, or special, about it. It's just particle board with a tarted up name.

We're buying Kabinart, priced out much better than Fieldstone.

The difference is less door fronts to choose from, less finishes, less width/height configurations, etc. If you can get the kitchen you want from them, go for it. We made very few concessions, like getting a 24" ref. side panel instead of a full-depth panel.

Kabinart also has two lines. We're going with the 1/2" box (our current cabinets have held up great, nothing wider than 33") . That is the CLASSIC series. We may upgrade to the SIGNATURE series just for drawers, to get dovetail, softclose, full extension.