I think those might be the kind my sister has. in oak. I love them! I want to get those too - but I want a southwestern design on my doors. not sure how that'll work out yet. will probably check with some local cabinet makers... hers are honey something - very low sheen on them - and very, very plain. no do-dads on them. we need things as plain as possible for ease in cleaning etc. pulls will be the same - no detail on them to hold dust, food, yuk stuff and need cleaning a lot.

American Woodmark according to its' voluntary reporting to Kitchen and Bath Busines is a 100% stock manufacturer (see link). Kraftmaid is a semi-custom line. Stock versus Semi-custom has nothing to do with the quality of the cabinet construction but will effect how verstaile the product is (semi-custom by definition should have more options than stock and more available finishes). Lines are quite different in Canada but I have never been that impressed with the construction specs for the Kraftmaid given the price point but the box stores here (Rona & HD) don't set up vignettes for Kraftmaid in store so I have never seen them in person. The stock lines at HD in Canada (by Fabritec) have better construction specs than both Thomasville and Kraftmaid IMO (quality construction in the cabinet is not the same as quality in the finishing). I think the finishing issue may come down to expectation. If your design was done using American Woodmark it can certainly be replicated using Kraftmaid but part of what you are paying for with Kraftmaid is the semi-custom versatility so I would want to be able to do things design wise I couldn't with the stock line (or what are you paying more for?). I looked at stock, semi-custom and custom and found I could get custom for what semi-custom would cost (this is very common in many markets). In our case we also found we didn't have to make very many compromises in our design to do it with a stock line for about a 1\3 saving (with comparable construction and materials between the lines). As in this thread I have only heard good things about American Woodmark quality. Here is a link that might be useful: Whos who in cabinets 2008

In our 2001 house, we used Thomasville cabinets ordered through HD. Shortly after we installed them, Thomasville changed their supplier, as caryscott mentioned above, so today's TVs are made by someone else. I loved that kitchen -- the quality was nice and HD took care of a couple issues promptly and perfectly. I'm one of those people who had a very good HD experience. My 2001 cabinets were cream colored with a golden glaze. The quality was very nice and they held up beautifully. My only complaint was that the frames were not glazed, and in fact were just a bit whiter than the doors. When they were installed, it wasn't much of an issue, but by the time we moved out of the house, in 2008, the difference had become much more noticeable -- enough to annoy me! The buyers didn't mention it, so maybe it was more obvious to me than anyone else. The cabinets in the new house have just gone in this week. The main kitchen and pantry are Shiloh, but several other rooms have KM cabinets, and they look wonderful, as do the Shiloh. Good luck!!

To me... the tone of your post already states your preference. There is no reason you should go with something you already question the wisdom of. Your custom quote is still a very resonable cost so don't feel you need to justify being "overly extravagent". I'm sure there have been many people who are happy with their American Woodmark cabs and the service they received at HD. As long as the extra $$ doesn't impede your ability to do what you need to take care of your family and still allows you enough $$ (and dont' forget to calculate in 30% overages for yet to be seen issues)for all the other fun stuff (countertops, backsplash, lighting); I would just go with what I want. If you were talking about a 10-20K difference; that would be a different story for me... at least for me and my budget.