I have Diamond, and the reason we went with them was to get the toe-kick drawers, which were not available with Kraftmaid. When my design was done, I ended up not being able to even get the darn toe-kick drawers because the are only available with certain sized cabinets, which were not in my kitchen. Oh well.

In addition to the cabinet line themselves you should consider the dealer. I have had a mixed experience at HD, but I have had 3 perfect transactions with Lowe's in my area; KM cabinets arrived perfectly. Orders for addtional parts were fast also. You should find that out.

Also, in these times I'd be sure, if ordering through a private dealer, that a credit card payment is acceptable. About a year ago I almost went through buycabinets.com, but for that issue. We all know what has transpired since that time. You never know.

I was wondering if anyone knows if the painted finishes are the same on these two brands. I am looking at the bright whites in these cabinet lines, but want the ones that are less shiny/ more matte finish. Does anyone know offhand? I had planned Kraftmaid because I thought they were cheaper, but now I am learning that the prices are about the same. I guess the paint finish is going to be the decision maker. Thanks.

Keep in mind that ONLY KraftMaid has the two-coats finished process of their doors/drawer fronts whereas Diamond, Schuler, and other comparable-priced brand only have one-coat finished process. if you go to your dealer or Lowes or Home Depot and feel the smoothness of the doors/drawers' finishes, you will find that KraftMaid has the smoothest feel and a more durable finish than the other comparable competing brands. Also KraftMaid construction and its drawers/doors holds up very well and last longer, and stays good looking longer. I have a Diamond Reflections/Intermediate series with Ply-Ends box construction which weren't cheap and after two years, the quality has started to show its weakness resulting in issues needed to be replaced as such the tall wall cabinet doors starts to bow out, shelves warp down from the weight of the dishwares, drawers are skinny thin the thickness of your pinky finger, especially if you have a pots and pan drawer that's 30 inches or wider, the weight will make the drawer box bow down and become treacheously bouncy as if it's going to break off. The bottom of the drawer boxes on base cabinets of 30 inches and wider do not have a spine the in center under the "floor" of the drawer box to prevent the floorpanel from bowing down, from the weight of the items in it. ONLY KraftMaid has these spines attached from the back to front under the center bottom of the wide drawer boxes for structural integrity. Their drawer runner guides are wider, thicker and much more durable as STANDARD feature. With Diamond, you would have to upgrade to the most expensive Intrigue/Advance series to get that wider and strong drawer runne guides and wood veneered interior boxes. With KraftMaid's the wood veneer interior boxes (only available on APC All Plywood construction) is standard and cost less than Diamond Intrigue/Advanced series. Diamond does have very nice door styles, wood, and color finishes and Diamond is the only leading brand with the most variety of paint color finishes than the other brands. You just have to pick your priorities or poison. If you are concerned about quality finishes and durability, then go with KraftMaid- they are guaranteed to last a very long time as I have seen its true test of time of cabinets as old as 1984 and they haven't aged much at all.

KraftMaid offers standard two coats finishes, high gloss laminate finish (Merrill slab style), and Satin finish. The Satin finish is a flat/matt satin quality finish and cost more as an upcharge premium of over 20% more. It's white is cool white. Diamond does not offer the Satin finish or the matt finish. Instead, they have the standard one-coat finish that fits in between the semi-gloss and Satin/matt finish. They have the True Color which is a foil wrapped finish with MDF/HDF door panels. If you want the authentic looking and feeling of the luxurious matt finish- go with KraftMaid's Satin finish. The downside of the Satin finish versus the smooth semi-gloss two clear top clear coats on top of its two coats paint is that the Satin finish is very challenging to maintain from fingerprints and grease marks. IF you were eating potato chips with your hands and you touch those Satin-finished doors, your greasy fingers from the oils on your skin will leave imprints all over the Satin-finished doors and that is going to be a big chore to clean it off. If you have young kids, the Satin-finish is NOT a suitable type of finish for your home with young kids.