When we quartz shopped, I remember some patterns came in a honed version. But I found that quartz is not nearly as shiny as granite, and the shine may vary among manufacturers. We had very reflective Caesarstone installed, then damaged on install, and replaced with Pentalquartz. The PQ is much less reflective. Kind of a satin finish.

I can only comment on your statement that manufacturers wouldn't manufacture problematic stuff. I certainly wouldn't rely on that in terms of what are cosmetic issues of maintenance. People use counters in all kinds of different ways. Many people never cook and therefore could use high maintenance materials with no issues. Some people have housekeepers who clean. Others have different standards so fingerprints and splotches wouldn't bother them. Not the same thing but I am having marble counter installed in my master bath. I know it is higher maintenance than porcelain might be but my use for the master bath is not as hard as it might be for others since I live alone - don't dye my hair and I also am fine with the marble acquiring a patina. FWIW, I opted for honed marble floor and counter both for appearances and also because to the extent it etched, it would be less noticeable with a honed surface. Other people might make different choices of a material based on how they are using the room and also what their tolerance is for normal wear and tear.

I am SO glad I found this post. Thank you Amy for starting it! I love soapstone but for many reasons it's not practical for our kitchen. The cabinet shop showed me the PentalQuartz in Sorona in Honed and Polished and I immediately liked the honed. Thank you for all of your insights and experiences. We have chosen similar cabinet design/color so it's super helpful to see your finished kitchen! Thanks again!

After a problem with our original countertops, we had a Caesarstone quartz counter installed in a honed finish. We absolutely love it! The fabricator advised that honed requires more cleaning. We don’t have a problem with cleaning off fingerprints, oil marks, water/food marks. We’re having a problem cleaning off what appear to be nothing other than simple smudges. For every day cleaning, I use just soap and water. For tough marks, I use either Soft Scrub Liquid Gel or Bar Keeper’s Friend Spray (both on Caesarstone’s recommended cleaners list). I’m just curious if anyone has found a daily cleaner that works really well for them on honed counters.