Here are some notes I have made so far, things to look for and things I need additional research ...
good cabinet/drawer qualities -
good reputation & good (lifetime?) warranty,
full extension drawers (esp. if shallow drawers),
ball bearing glides,
soft-close drawer glides & doors,
drawers (1-dovetail, 2-doweled, 3-screwed&glued, 4-stapled or nailed is worst),
sturdy drawer bottoms in grooves/dado's not glued,
invisible hinges? (on insides),
backs on cabinet boxes (not bare wall),
good finish (smooth, no bubbles, no drips),
corners braced with diagonal support glued & screwed,
thickness of cabinet sides 1/2" and shelves 3/4",
solid plywood is not necessary ? MDF is just as good ?
drawer glides - BLUM is supp to be best - Accuride (makes a self-closing) and Knape & Vogt also good - there may be others -
can add Blumotion after market for soft close doors
lip (light rail) on bottom front of upper cabs to conceal under cabinet lighting - esp. if frameless !!!
make sure bottoms of upper cabs are finished,
have interior of glass fronted cabinets finished to match exterior
find out interior dimension of drawers (drawer front height isn't same as interior height!) 3" min. - also check WxD - how wide is drawer in cab ? How deep are drawers (front to back)
lots of interior gadgets can be added after market for less money (i.e. trash pullout etc)

it helps to think about how long u will be in the house and how much the kitchen is used. We went with Brookhaven (the cheaper line of Wood Mode). Interiors are white MDF. But we got the hidden (Euro)hinges we wanted, deep wide drawers, and most of the gizmos we needed..and we were willing to work within their 3" increments (eg 9, 12 15, etc) rather than customize. So here and there an inch spacer was needed. Their Doors and visable panels are a combo of wood-look-alike and real-wood framed doors. Panels on door fronts were not real wood. 18 years later, in darkish cherry, the look is ok but they do show wear...meaning some areas dont get as clean (espec the non wood) and some lamination strips are not holding up. We are 2 people with LOTs of houseguests and the kitchen, tho in a big city, is used daily -- suburban style. The Brookhaven held up fairly well but after 10 or 12 yrs less so

Bicoastal - - I agree that Brookhaven only lasts so long.

My Brookhaven by Wood-Mode cabinetry was only moderately used by adults and it is giving up the ghost after just a little more than 10 years.

I guess that is why the guarantee expires after 10 years!!!!

I had one cabinet come loose from the wall. It was unrepairable - - the box itself was falling apart.

I am really surprised. I didn't overload it. It only held my drinking glasses on the lower shelf. Nothing but napkins and paper towels on the upper shelf.

The painted finish has cracked very badly. I called them about that yrs ago and they said that was to be expected.

I really think that Brookhaven by Wood-Mode has a problem with the painted finishes because I talked to people who sell Wood-Mode and Brookhaven and they all said that painted finishes by this company are prone to cracking.

Yea, it looks so smooth and nice in some places, but, in other places, especially joints, the paint cracks and cracks over time.

I also have had some warping of the wood and particle board around my sink, too.

I had it priced to repair the kitchen and the bids were all over $8,000 from Wood-Mode dealers.

And, even with the repairs, there is no guarantee that the painted finish cabinet doors and drawers that I would replace wouldn't a) come cracked from Wood-Mode and b) crack over time just like what I have already.

I am now planning to gut out all this Brookhaven and replace it with local custom cabinets from a man with a great local reputation.

BTW - - those Blum hinges and Euro hidden hinges and such are really not expensive hardware.

They are not a Wood-Mode or Brookhaven exclusive.

I'll be able to get those on my new custom cabinets, too.