Did you post this in another forum? I could swear I answered it.

Kyliegirl, Thanks for taking the time to do the search on this. I had seen the posting that you linked to but what they ordered was an exotic wood NOT from the U.S.A. I was really hoping that someone had ordered a domestic hardwood from Pennington that was milled by their company here in the States. I was also hoping that someone would post about their internet flooring purchase from other companies. Oh, well. Maybe no one on the forum has done such a purchase online. It was so good of you to try to help. That's what makes this forum so great. Karen

A couple of things on thickness of engineered that may or may not matter. 1. Depending on what you are putting the flooring over (concrete or floor joists) and how you are installing (glue vs. floating), the thicker floor will be stiffer. This will allow for less flexing over joists, and less movement over potential hollow spots on glue down installations. 2. The thicker floor will tend (not always the case so you need to verify) to have a thicker face layer (the "good" wood). This could allow for more sandings, and is less likely to have something "tear" through it. 3. Purely my opinion (no facts to back up) but if you are floating the floor, I believe the thicker floor would transmit less sound as it wouldn't be as prone to vibration as the thinner product. Think of a drum head. If you made it really thick, I don't think you'd get the same drum sound. All that being said, if you are in a situation where these factors aren't that important, the thinner product (apples to apples) will tend to be less expensive and could allow for easier transitions. Hope this helps.

I was interested in the Somerset Color Plank Red Oak 5" x 1/2" engineered product. However, reading some of these other threads about Somerset made me really uncomfortable about buying their product. What would be a similar price range (or maybe a step up) but of higher and longer lasting quality? I've been burned before with companies not living up to their warranties / weaseling out of them. I don't need drama in my flooring! Recommendations?