No, all laminates are not equal. I ordered Nevamar's 'Prove It Yourself' kit & tested several different brands (random samples) of laminate.

I'd be sure to comparison test samples of the exact laminate (patterns, finish and grade--horizontal, vertical, post-form) that you're considering.

FWIW, the Nevamar samples that I tested did seem to be tougher stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prove It Yourself Link

The differences, as Ci lantro was pointing out, aren't necessarily just from brand to brand. We did laminates in various places in our home. Every type of Formica we used was pretty equal... good quality and thick. We DIY'ed ours and DH was impressed with the Formicas. The Pionite we used in the kitchen wasn't quite as thick, and the Wilsonart was thinner than all. But we've used Wilsonart before that we felt was better quality. This time we chose a pattern that was one of their cheaper lines/grades, and it was a mistake. (Not that it doesn't look nice, but we feel it will scratch and show wear easier than the rest.) I know, for instance, that Wilsonart also has the HD laminate that is some of the best on the market. It seems that the patterns that are available in different finishes/textures seem to be better quality no matter which of those finishes you order.

After writing all of this, it all boils down to what CiLantro said...Compare samples, looking at exactly the grade and finish you're considering.

ci_lantro: Thank you for the link to the prove_it_yourself test kit. Do you know do I need one kit to test all my samples or a kit for each sample?

rhome: Wow, this is getting complicated for a home office; but from what you wrote, it sounds like formica, WilsonArt HD, and Pionite (that was the name I fogot) would be a place to start. For a home office environment something scrach resistant would be more important than burn resistant which I can see being more important for kitchens.

You know, I don't even remember what was in the kit! But it was just common stuff (maybe steel wood, etc.) I do remember that I tested several samples with it and also used a knife tip to scratch the different samples of laminates I had collected besides the Nevamar samples that I had ordered. (Was most curious about seeing whether or not Nevamar really was tougher after being disappointed in a Pionite counter that we installed not all that long ago.)

Ci_lantro: Thanks for the tips about how to test my samples. The knife tip test sounds like a good check.