It is a great question for all hardwood flooring potential buyers. You are not alone as many other homeowners cross the country. The wood flooring market has totally evolved into a confusing home improvement sector for home owners in the past 5 years. There are too many new products on the market to choose from, especially for engineered wood floors. Keep in mind there are no cheaper way to make quality floorings. So you still mostly get what you paid for in general rule. If you are willing to pay $2 to 3 more per sqft, go with top brands like Mirage or Lauzon, etc. It is hard to go wrong. If you try to save that $2 to 3 per sqft, you can do it. But you would have to research more, order samples and make calls to some businesses who brought in their wood floorings directly from mills around the world. They usually know this business well and serve the market with their niche quality products at reasonable price. Please feel free to ask more particular questions. I will be happy to share my personal experiences from talking to customers on our showroom floor.