I debated between KM and a Mercedes cabinet version custom built by the amish with a significantly higher cost (sold through a "retailer" here in Texas). In the end, I decided KM had sufficient quality to serve me well and were more appropriate for my budget. A second deciding factor was that almost no fillers were necessary. If your kitchen is small and you're losing too much space to fillers to make it work, I would consider looking in a different direction. Like you, I had a top notch installer. I encountered only one problem (wrong drawer slide) which was promptly corrected. After 2 1/2 years, they are still like brand new (with painted finish), and I have no regrets. (1.) One subtle difference is that KM makes their base slightly taller than most cabinets, thereby shortening the height of the drawers and doors. This is an obvious cost benefit for KM. However, I'm still quite pleased with the storage. (2.) Their shelf clips are plastic. My installer substituted the metal ones. (3.) KM drawer box depth is 20.5" whereas total inside depth to the back of the cabinet is 23.5". I would think a more expensive company should give a deeper drawer box. You need to check the cabinet specs re: thickness of cabinet backs, etc. However, I believe KM has sufficient quality to stand the test of time. If you want top construction quality and custom sizes at KM prices, I suggest you look into rta cabinets by Conestoga sold through retailers such as Cabinet Authority or Cabinet Joint. I'm purchasing Conestoga cabinets for a bedroom where I need custom sizing and construction. Take time with your decision and the best choice for your situation will become obvious.

About half of my kitchen is the same Brookhaven cabinets that sarahandbray has. They are wonderful -- well made adn beautifully finished. Since I just saw a thread about cabinet depth, I will point out that standard wall cabinet depth on Brookhaven is 13" and allows you to fit larger plates and bowls in your upper cabinets. Don't get trapped into thinking that wood is necessarily better than composite materials. There are different grades of wood (generally plywood) and MDF, poarticle board or other composites. I've had plenty of plywood around here for home and school projects. In fact, there is a sheet sitting under concrete blocks on my driveway because it had some serious warping issues. Plywood is very vulnerable to warping. I can also tell you that in the two years since I had my cabinets installed, I have had several water issues -- my plumber didn't connect the prep sink properly. I had a leak inside the cabinet. Even though I mopped it up and thought I caught it fairly quickly, the bottom of the cabinet bubbled in places. No -- it wasn't MDF or particle board. This was inside my all wood Woodmode cabients on the island. On the other hand, I had water run through the pan of my rangetop and down into the cabinet belwo when someone turned their back on the new and fast flowing potfiller. I was sure there would be a problem, but you would never know. Similarly, the main sink and faucet were also not connected properly (the plumber was the source of the bigger pains in my remodel). I have had water in the bottom of that cabinet at least three times before everything was caught and hopefully fixed. No problems there either. Both the rangetop and main sink cabinets are Brookhaven. Another thing -- my KD ordered the cabinets on the end of each run with wood sides -- not because they wood was better but because she wanted to assure that the finish was the same on the ends as on the front (I have seen the two materials with the same finish and they do look different). Overall construction and finish should be more important that generic terms like "wood" or "MDF". I have heard of Crystal here but don't know anything about them personally. I don't get the imprssion that they are on par with Brookhaven though. If Brookhaven and Kraftmaid are within a few hundred dollars, I have no doubt that I would pick Brookhaven -- for the finish (which also has a lot to do with how well your cabinets last over the years), the added inch of depth and the overall quality. Plus, you have the Woodmode company behind you if you have any problems.

Gosh, Brookhaven is not builder's grade around here!! I haven't ever seen it in a house with basic, builder's grade stuff. Most of our builder's grade stuff is Armstrong/Schrock/Bertch, etc. or maybe Kraftmaid. Might be because of where I live, but to get Brookhaven/Wood-Mode around here, you have to go to a specific KD's shop--we have a couple, but they're not carried at Lowe's/HD/Curtis, etc. If you can afford it, I would go with Plain & Fancy, Wood-Mode, Omega, Crown Point, etc. Nice thing about Brookhaven as a mid-range price point is that if you can use it for most of your cabinets, you can add in a Wood-Mode cabinet here and there if needed for an odd space or a certain type of cabinet--and have them all finished in the same way. Kind of mix-and-match, if you will. Oh, and if you do go the route of getting Brookhaven/Wood-Mode, I would shop your plan around if you have other KD's in the area. Mine was 14.5K for a medium sized kitchen with four walls of painted cabinets--and another KD wanted almost 4K more for the same layout. Pays to shop around, even if you want to use your favorite KD in the end. Can't hurt to do some price comparison! :) Sarah

@Mavis Jones Our builder contracted with the local Reico office. I'll start out with something I'm sure you will already know, and most likely agree with, that every Reico office is different (staff, experience, expertise). I didn't find our Reico designer to be helpful in choosing options, but I came to the appointment ready to roll (our builder provided all the options prior to the appointment). I came in thinking I would go with Ralston or Tolani until she pulled out a new option the builder added to the list, Glenrock. I went with that and love them (in Kona stain). My husband pulled out all the countertop options and narrowed them down and I made the final decision. The designer was helpful only in ticking off all her boxes for the builder. But that's just me as a customer, other customers she'd provide more guidance. I like the cabinets a lot. I've had better cabinets in a previous home but I like these. I chose a recessed design and the inset sounds like MDF (in my previous house they were all wood, including the inset), but I don't go around tapping on the inset so it doesn't matter to me. It seems like the finish on these is more prone to scratches so someday I'll get around to filling them in with the stain pens they provided. They're easy to clean with water and vinegar. The stain color is consistent throughout the product. These pics were before we moved in so there's some building/construction dust still on them.