It's not "upgraded" beyond the fact that you can get butt doors in it. It's the same construction, unless you are switching to all plywood and upgrading the drawers from particle board with epoxy slides to actual wood with undermount glides. By the time you pay for that, you could have gotten a MUCH better cabinet in another line. Of course, the kitchen won't be 4K worth of cabinets like AOK, but you get what you pay for. An average kitchen in an average middle of the road line is 12-15K without a whole lot of upgrades at all.

i had the oakland aristokraft cabinets in my new build. like green designs said, particle board drawers, ends, bottoms, backs. drawers with side mount glides.
my drawers were ok but i hated the middle stile on all cabinets so at least get "butt doors".
i personally hated the partial overlay which i think landon is but that is aesthetic.
the sides of my cabs turned a weird color and chipped on the bottom edges so do an upgraded end to avoid that.
my guess is that once you upgrade a few things, you could go with a better cabinet line altogether but it will depend on the allowance the builder is giving you and whether or not he will let you go with a different brand.
aristokraft is still a very common cabinet for new construction because it is cheap.
if you plan to be in this house for more than 10 years, it will be worth it to go with better cabinets. i had to spend $17k to replace my junky cabinets and counter 15 years after build and that was going with the lowest line of medallion cabinets. $3500 of that was install. if you can spend it now, you will save in the end.

They don't call them Aristocrap for nothing......

Aristokraft IS better than it used to be! No, it's not a mid grade line, but it is a solid value in an entry level line. As long as you have the proper expectations about what you are getting, you won't be disappointed.

There is a basic line, with 3/8" particle board construction, and side mount epoxy glide drawers that builders most often use. To make it even more confusing, there is a Core group of doorstyles within the line that do not offer butt doors and other almost standard features that many other lines offer. The Plus line of doors DO offer the butt doors. That designation of Core or Plus determines the features available for you to choose, even if you upgrade the construction. Clear as mud?

The next level is Select construction which is still 3/8" particle board, but the drawers are upgraded to all wood, dovetail construction. You can upgrade within Select to the soft close for drawers for additional cost. I do many budget kitchens in Select construction with the upgraded drawers, as it's still lower priced than most mid grade lines at that level.

The third level is All Plywood Construction, which is 3/8" plywood, with the all wood drawers. Again, upgrading to the soft close drawers is an upcharge within that construction level. If you choose the all ply with the upgraded drawers, it will actually cost more than most mid grade lines with better construction quality as standard from the beginning.

Here's an example of pricing from the lines that I carry.

The Aristokraft Avalon door in maple is a Core door, meaning no butt cabinets.

W30
B30 are $369

Move to the Landen door, which is a Plus door, meaning butt cabinets available (and chosen) the total is $407.

Move to Select construction for the Landen (wood drawers) and the total is $444. Add the soft close drawer hardware in Select, and you're up to $463.

Put the two cabinets in all plywood with the soft close drawers and you're up to $545.

In Kemper, which has 1/2" construction instead of 3/8", better quality hardware, and has soft close doors and drawers as standard, in the Manchester door style, the total would be $532, which is LESS than in the Aristokraft with less features. Add in the all ply construction for 5% extra, and you'd be at $559.

If you have mid grade expectations, especially for the finish quality (which is a lot better) then you are better off starting in a mid grade line. If you are OK with the features for the budget, then AOK in Select, with the drawers upgraded to soft close can be a smart choice.

I think it can be a great choice for a kitchen on a budget. It passes all KCMA testing, and will give you great look.

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[Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Other Metro Kitchen & Bath Designers ProSource Memphis

Do you see in the Aristokraft pic that I posted how the 2 door cabinets have the vertical post in the middle of them, bisecting them in half?

Now look at the double door cabinets in this Kemper hutch cabinet. No stile in the middle. When you open the doors, the cabinet is open all the way with nothing in the way of you getting out a large platter or other item stored within.

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[Transitional Kitchen[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/transitional-kitchen-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_709~s_2112) by Other Metro Kitchen & Bath Designers ProSource Memphis

Look at the difference with the doors open. The standard cabinet has limited access to the interior because of the stile.

Now look at the butt cabinet. Wide open access. Kemper only does butt cabinets, unless the cabinet is over 36" and needs the center stile for structural stability.

Ah, thank you. That helps :)

Honestly I CAN live without soft close. My criteria are that the doors or functionality should last long. As in no creeky sound or wobbly doors or drawers falling apart. I do want shelves or roller trays added to lower cabinets to maximize storage space.

i had a pantry that i bought and added years after the build and the roll out trays were the first to fall apart in the kitchen. they came off the runners constantly and were so shallow that everything fell into the back of the pantry. if you can afford roll outs the. drawers shouldn't be too much more. drawers are awesome! my fav part of the reno! i have all the snacks and baking paraphernalia that used to be in the pantry and my 48" base cabinet!

Thanks ardcp!