Why is it so difficult to compare the kitchen cabinet brands?

by trends January 26, 2025, 9:18 pm 1k Views

The simple answer is that it is intentional.

The design of the kitchen and cabinets are complicated and customers always seek to compare the design work done by professionals. To protect the work done by kitchen designers, cabinet brands intentionally make it confusing to buy cabinets.

One way in which this is done is that the same cabinet companies have different names in different locations. And even if the cabinet brand is the same, the styles and finishes of the doors can have different names in different retailers.

Obtaining reliable cabinet reviews is difficult because consumption reports and other review sites do not ask professionals to qualify the cabinets. They ask consumers. Then, the reviews are written by personnel reporters who know nothing about cabinets. Often, customers, without knowing anything better, complain about the properties of the cabinet they selected. Or on problems that his installer, distributor or designer was responsible. These are the two most extreme examples of deceptive and inaccurate cabinet brands:

The IKEA Cabinet brand is constantly favorably reviewed by almost all, except professionals, here is why:

Ikea cabinets are economical, easy to buy, and consumer expectations are low. In addition, Ikea’s finishes are simple and do not vary much, so “what you see is what you get.”
The instructions to assemble the cabinets are not frustrating. People are happy to have a new kitchen that at least at least looks pretty well.
Consumer Reports, JD Power and online consumers reviews are published or published shortly after buying a kitchen.
Market research has also shown that consumers feel more favorably towards a product that gathered on one that was built for them. This illusion is known as the Ikea effect. See link.

No one continues 20 years later and sees that Ikea kitchen falls apart.

Even if they did, they would have to compare it with the same kitchen in a better product to understand the deep difference in the longevity of cabinet brands. As a professional, I see these IKEA kitchens 20, 10 and even 5 years later, when they call me to replace them.

Kraftmaid (that the design of the kitchen of the main line does not carry, but is the best example of the other end) consistently receives bad or mediocre reviews of consumer publications and housing owners.

There are several reasons for this:

Customer expectations are much higher because they are buying a more expensive cabinet. Either in a center of origin or in the exhibition room with which they are working.
In more expensive cabinet lines, the characteristics of wood and the cabinet finishes can be inconsistent because they are supposed to be. This can confuse consumers and lead to the regret of the buyer.
Kitchens designed in a high-end semi-semi-semi-fold line such as Kraftmaid can be complex and this makes errors more likely. Particularly in centers of origin such as Lowes and Home Depot that Kraftmaid carries. This is because housing centers are paid less and, therefore, have less experience. Add to that, that the environment in a center of origin is noisy, confusing and full of interruption. The result is that problems and misunderstandings are almost guaranteed.
Customers of the center of origin tend to be driven by the price. That is why they are buying a kitchen in the center of the house in the first place. Due to prices concerns, they often do not pay for the necessary updates of the cabinet and hardware. They may not even be told that these important updates should obtain. But they could expect them to be standard in a more expensive cabinet line.

The above problems create a recipe for consumer dissatisfaction.

The best example of this disparity between what is real and perceived was in 2005 when consumer consumption gave Ikea a upper cabinet brand rating, while Kraftmaid received a relatively low rating.

At that time, Kraftmaid was on a 7 -year -old winning streak for the best value of cabinets qualified by cabinet professionals. Those same professionals would agree for the most part that Ikea was just garbage. Kraftmaid may not be the same cabinet line that was then, but Ikea yes, and Ikea continues to be qualified near the top in the consumption reports and in the JD energy classification.

Some consumers focus by mistake on the guarantee of cabinet brands as a way of judging quality. However, many well -made cabinet lines have the standard 5 -year industry standard, while Ikea has a 15 -year warranty. A life guarantee does not mean much, since all life guarantees in cabinets are limited guarantees for life and cover very little. Several terribly made cabinet lines offer a limited guarantee for life.

For a consumer who wants a large kitchen, buying a kitchen designer and a cabinet distributor is a better strategy than focusing on a cabinet line.

When looking for a kitchen designer to work, be sure to have a minimum of 10 years of experience. Kitchen design is a profession so complex that a well -educated brilliant person is often a better designer than one with a design or certification title. Therefore, some of the best kitchen designers I have met are in second careers or never studied the design at the university.

The best cooking designers are very brilliant people with great space relationship skills and the will to learn and teach. Educating customers about what to value and wait is the distinctive seal of a good designer. So, learning a lot from a designer in a short time talking to them is a good sign. If you give you some ways in which you can save money without compromising quality, that shows that you are also taking care of your best interests.

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