5k less is what percentage? How big of quote? How many cabinets? Installed?

$6,400 for J&K vs. 12K for Waypoint so almost 50% cheaper. Neither price includes installation. I actually get a better layout and more cabinet space with the J&K quote.

Of course there's is that much difference in an American produced product and flat pack Chinese imports that are assembled by day labor. Are you doing a flip? Or do you care about quality that will last longer than a couple of years?

It is not a flip. Not sure what you mean by "assembled by day labor." I have the option to have my contractor assemble them...

Of course there's is that much difference in an American produced product and flat pack Chinese imports that are assembled by day labor.

I’m sure Sam F. — and others reading this, including me — would like to hear what the differences are between the two products, not just hyperbole.

I used J&K for a laundry room. They were fine for that application. I don't know that I would use them as a budget choice for a kitchen. They felt flimsy. Finish wasn't that bad. They are RTA cabinets. We had an issue with one door damaged during shipping and they were responsive and sent a replacement promptly. We only used cabinets so I have no experience with their drawer quality. I would look at Ikea as an alternative.

J&K is Chinese flat pack, produced in the low bid factories, from low bid materials. The plywood has internal voids, and odors. The finishes are not post catalyzed. Some are not even pre cat. The assembly does not rely on traditional cabinet construction techniques of wood joinery. They do not offer factory customization options. All "custom" options require altering already produced cabinets, and with not always great results. The importers of the line hire temporary workers in non climate controlled warehouses to assemble or alter the products.

It is how they often market/lie about being "built" in America. They rely on marketing words about dovetail and soft close, never stating the quality of those. The actual quality is builder grade to just above. It depends on which factory built that batch, and which day labor assembled or altered it.

Waypoint is built in Virginia, from raw materials grown and sourced in North America. With some European imported ply. No Asian ply. The factories are semi humidity controlled which leads to less acclimating needed and less warpage in the home.

They do not use top of the line Euro hardware, but they do use a very good Chinese import knockoff for their hardware. Their finishes are post catalyzed, and very tough. They are above builder grade in their offerings and construction both. They do offer some customizations, done during the materials cutting phase, not on already built components. It's a solid line, with decent value.

IMO if it is too good to be true guess what. I would do Ikea before I would de cheap Chinese stuff.

Move to something middle of the road for price and quality. Kraftmaid, Medallion, Kemper, Showplace, etc. You don't want import anything. Waypoint is about as low a quality as you'd want to go for a second level move up from a builder apartment . It is not middle of the road. Certainly not high end. 12K is pretty darn low price though. Double that for an average expense. Price alone isn't a quality indicator, but it's the closest index that most people can understand.

It sounds as if the OP is struggling with a $12k budget. Going up to a mid-range cabinet will likely be $14-15k if the Waypoint is only $12k. But something doesn't add up. I carry Kraftmaid and it's about a 40% bump up to KraftMaid from J&K, not double like the Waypoint price was. I would get a few more quotes.

I did get another quote for Woodland brand cabinets, but that was closer to 18K. I don't have a huge cabinet budget so am willing to go up to the Waypoint but only if I am getting something significantly better. The 18K Woodland quote is higher than I really can go.

Where city/state are you located? See what KraftMaid or Medallion Silverline series would cost.

I'm in Crested Butte, Colorado. We have very few services here and are 4 hours from Denver so trying to find the right product is difficult to say the least.

J&k is much better than the usual import stuff. It’s solid wood and no particle board. It might not be manufactured in the USA but once it’s installed nobody will be asking where the wood was grown.

I’ve been using them for years now on my projects and have no issues with the quality control. They’ve told me in the past that they are their own manufacturers so they aren’t going to have the same inconsistency that some other imports may have.

Sorry to be a little too active on a new forum June 😂 I’ll leave it all to you Houzz experts.

UPDATE: Since the tariffs, J&K is no longer a budget option for my business. We now only recommend it if someone is in a hurry. I recently quote Medallion Silverline (with a 15% promotion) against J&K and the price was about the same. J&K: Get it FAST! Silverline: Offers a lot more SKUs and is easier to design with. And is made in the USA. Medallion Silverline is a great bang for your buck right now with their sale. Ends Dec 2020.

I guess I should update this post since I originally posted it over a year ago. We ended up going with J&K and love the cabinets. The only thing we've noticed after a year is that a couple of doors have slightly warped. Otherwise, they are solid and look great. They happened to have the exact door front color/style that I wanted; others may find that the choices are limited. Here's a pic.

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Jennifer. It’s been almost two years since your post. How are those cabinets holding up?

They have held up great! I can't be happier with them. Easy to clean, hardware working well and no other issues. Although they are "budget" cabinets they do not look or act that way. Highly recommend.

Thanks so much. We have some J&K’s going up this week. I’ll admit I’m having a little buyer’s remorse after reading some of the sentiment on these boards. But, money isn’t limitless and this is just where we happened to land. :) Fingers crossed that my experience with them is as positive as your’s!

I hope you are happy with them. I was really nervous about them too but honestly I've been quite surprised by the quality. They've held up really well over 3 years. I did have maybe 2 doors warp slightly but I think that's because I live in such a dry climate. Nothing horrible or noticeable.

Jennifer and Mike, are you still happy with your cabinets? I am considering J&K for a kitchen renovation and expansion and will be getting quite a few cabinets. I have a quote for J&K that seems reasonable and a quote for Schrock Entra cabinets that is like 60% more! To be honest the whole cabinet buying process seems to be overly complex and not at all transparent. Hope you still love your cabinets!

Hi Peter - I still really love mine. Honestly, the hardware and features are good and don't seem like they are budget. They still look great and are holding up well. No regrets 4 1/2 years later.

Thank you! That’s great to hear.