You're seriously comparing Chinese cabinets to one of the better upper middle grade cabinets made in America. Talk about apples and rutabagas! No way that they are even close to comparable products.

hollysprings - thanks for the information on the St. Martins.

I do not wish to turn this discussion to a "Made in China" thread, there are hundreds if not thousands on the internet. But as you stated to compare apples to apples and a wood box is a wood box.

I'm looking to real world experience, and the comparison regardless of where it's made.

So here is the facts I have now:
- Brookhaven (BH) - Furniture grade particle board, plywood for an upgrade fee which would already drive the price even higher
- St. Martin (STM) - All Plywood case, most posts here suggest plywood preferable
- BH - many choices of color and design combinations
- STM - limited, if you don't like what you have then your out of luck.
- I believe both use Blum hinges
- Both use dove tail for the drawers
- BH - Limited lifetime warranty
- STM - Limited 5 year warranty

So what are other specifics based upon the build and quality which would justify the cost difference or is it just a Tiffiany's Blue Box.

Please lets try to keep this to the build and quality, not where it's made.

i know nothing about either but just as an illustration of what looked the same on paper, we compared american woodmark, diamond, kraftmaid and medallion silverline. on paper they were all the same construction, soft close drawers, etc but we spent a lot of time opening and shutting doors/drawers and examining finishes. they were all very dissimilar. and the prices had a large variance. the most expensive was diamond and the cheapest american woodmark however we liked the medallion the best. sometimes its how the cabinet looks and feels.

I cannot comment on the build quality of either, but the warranty difference would be enough to sway me in the direction of Brookhaven. I had to use the warranty on a bath cabinet when the painted finish began peeling and chipping on the edges of the doors and drawers. It was nice to be able to make a phone call and then accept delivery of all new replacement doors and drawer fronts within a couple of weeks. I never expected to need that warranty, but was glad I had it when I did, and was glad I purchased my cabinet from a reputable company that has been in business a long time. I'd want that same reassurance when purchasing an entire kitchen's worth of cabinets.

Ardcp - thank you and will take some advice and go to the showroom and open/close the doors, I'll bring a loupe to inspect the finish (I know geeky)

Live_wire_oak - Thank you for the insight on the grades of wood and the understanding they maybe different under the skin, how would one determine the grade which they are made from? Brookhaven is within the budget, but I also wish to make a smart and frugal decision. I'm not looking to spend an extra 10k if not warranted but I will if the facts warrant it.

Jellytoast - Agree the warranty would be important if there are issues.

Again, thank you for keeping this to the facts and experiences.

I priced a project a few months ago where I was about 10%higher then Brookhaven using Starmark which is the most expensive company I offer....

I was a lower price with Showplace but it does not offer a like finish to one of Brookhavens the customer happened to like...

I asked the contractors how things went on that job. They said the customer had a little buyers remorse that the finish was the only thing they ended up liking about the cabinets once installed. The contractors opinion of the cabinets were they had a nice finish but were not any better constructed then any builder grade cabinet they have removed on any of the jobs they do... To quote them they used the phrase "builder grade junk"

Brookhaven is supposed to be as stated a mid grade to upper mid grade cabinet....

Saint Martin who I have never studied in person by book or samples of it does have quite nice literature from just checking them out.. They get the concept of making the product look good for marketing which a lot of other companies do not....

6 square and Allwood must be fairly like business models to Saint Martin..... 6 Square for example is a pretty well made product if you can get past the limited styles and colors. Saint Martin may be similar in that respect.

Some of 6 squares product cost are equal to showplace which I think would be better made then Brookhaven based on the descriptions of the contractors opinions who I trust to be honest and very experienced.....

Another company that has products that are supposed to be quite good that are limited like that is Eastman street wood works. They are becoming quite popular in the North East. People assume they are lower in price for being constrained but good looking and do not realize the price is actually pretty substantial in relative terms..

Davidindc I'm confused. Did your client go with the Brookhaven cabinets? We're they the ones that were junk?

Mama- nice cabinets , but why did you revive a year old thread to show cabinets that have nothing to do with the original poster's question ???

The FACT is miclee. It is China vs USA. I'm not making a political statement! Just FACT. Listen to llivewireoak. He is 'right on'! Otherwise be your' frugal' self and go by way of China.

I have to be honest. I now see what my clients do when they are shopping cabinet lines. I sell Brookhaven and can tell you how great they are until I am blue in the face. Are you more concerned about price or overall quality of the cabinet?

Here are a few tips on Brookhaven that may help you decide.

1. Wall cabinets are 13" deep (better for storage)

2. Your door style and finish will remain current for the life of your cabinets.

Why is that important? If you need a replacement part or want to add a piece in the future we can order a color match and can make sure the door style is available.

Those are just two reasons to think about.

I can drop ship cabinets anywhere if your looking to get another quote I would be glad to help you.

I have been designing and selling projects for 20 years and Brookhaven and Wood-Mode are my two go to companies. If your looking for another option at a better price point, check out Waypoint Cabinets :)

Again, you sell brookhaven , i sell omega . brookhaven is frameless, Omega is both frameless (which i try to stay away from, but if i need to sell it , i have it.)and framed cabinets. Brookhaven's parent co is WoodMode , Omega's is Masterbrand. I stick with masterbrand, only because i've dealt with WoodMode, and Masterbrand is much easier to deal with. Which in the end (for me) means better cust sat. To me that is the bottom line. I guess the bottom line is.....

Brookhaven offers framed, framless and inset doors @crctorz

why are you bringing up an 18 month old thread?

because i want to. What's the problem. The info is pertinent at any time cpartist..

Thanks for the added info on brookhaven RK.

thank you... appreciate it.. looking now... not 18 months ago.. thanks