Sensa is a less expensive brand that was designed to be sold at places like Lowes and Home Depot. If you are going to spend money on granite, I would get it from a quality warehouse or fabricator where you can see the whole exact slab that you will be getting in your home. Lowes and Home Depot generally make you choose from small samples that aren't even the current lot of stone. You can get Absolute Black Leathered from a good fabrication shop where you will know exactly what you are paying for.

I'll back up what Stoneshop says. The only reason Sensa exists is because they are trying to brand a natural product. Granite is a natural material. You can't manufacture it, and if you sell things based off of brand name recognition, that's not a good thing. So the big box stores try to create a granite "brand." It's like picking the cheapest wood and calling it a random name so that you can tell everyone to buy Your cheap wood not the exact same thing at different store. Absolute Black is one of those stones that can turn out pretty poorly if you get a commercial grade stone from cheaper place. If you find a unbelievably low price on it, don't believe it! Lesser grade Absolute Black can be susceptible to bad reactions with acidic products. A quality absolute black will, of course, be virtually indestructible, like most granite. That said, I love the Absolute Black Leathered. It's a great look! What color cabinet are you going to put with it?

Home Depot and Lowes sub out their granite work to other companies. So, if they are some of the cheaper prices out there, you can imagine how cheap the sub-contractor is having to do the work in order for Home Depot and Lowes to put a mark-up on the finished product. In order to get their prices that low, the sub-contracted fabricators have to use lower grade stone and use the cheapest labor and tooling they can. By going to a fabricator directly you will be getting more for your money, better service, a better product, and supporting your local economy.

My comments may be too late, but I just saw this! I have this in my kitchen and LOVE it! My kitchen is suited for the matte black and it is awesome. It is easy to maintain and I did not pick it from a small sample. I was able to go to their granite vendor and looked at LARGE Sensa samples! I have large L-Shape countertops that I used the matte black and my island is Italian stone. My cabinets are light maple. LOVE LOVE LOVE the look AND product!

So when looking at granite, I am told the difference in price is difficulty to get etc etc. if granite is natural stone how can one be cheaper quality. Please educate me.