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My sturbridge cabinets are barely 1. 5 years old. They're already nicking and i'm so afraid of them looking horrible, i have to be very gentle with everything i put in and out, the veneer is peeling off some of the shelves, and buckling up on others, the drawer is beginning to splinter and they sound hollow. 2 of the doors are warping and i had terrible problems with the staining.
Can you imagine the condition they'd be in if i had a family running around the kitchen? I have never had such a horrible experience with anything i've remodeled. I was told that the construction of these were better than many others, and that's true but the finished workmanship sucks.
Do not purchase these cabinets. Save your money and get something american made and that will stand up to a family.
Ran
Well -- the cabinets are beautiful, they make a good presentation. For me, the dealer was so kind to send me 2 replacement doors for the ones that warped, a replacement drawer front that began to splinter (can't figure that one out since I didn't drop anything on it to nick it) and runners for one of the drawers where the auto close mechanism doesn't work correctly and the dealer could not figure out why.
Besides the above, I now have 8 replacement doors, all of which were seemingly stained AFTER they were assembled and once inside the heat/ac, they began to show "Unstained" lines around the perimeter of the panels. and 3 replacement shelves due to the veneer peeling off.
Perhaps I was the recipient of the Manufacturer's Oops which they later improved upon, but, believe me, the workmanship left a lot to be desired.
So, I guess you guys are the lucky ones where everything is almost perfect.
Regards,
RAN
Maybe the next time as it's too late now. Thanks for the info because I would surely check them out.
It is now 2019, after having my Sturbridge cabinets installed and have written several reviews. I would highly recommend to anyone interested in purchasing these cabinets to NOT get the soft-close drawers. Thus far, and I live alone, 3 and 1/2 of the soft-close mechanisms on my drawers are broken. (the 1/2 is one that is on it's way out). I now have to get a contractor in to fix all these drawers. Thus far, because of the cheap hardware (I wish I had done more homework when I first purchased these cabinets) the drawers never really aligned properly.
If I had to do it all over again, I would have done more research. YES - the construction of these cabinets were done nicely but the drawer hardware and the door construction left a lot to be desired. BTW - many of the doors do not sit FLUSH against the cabinet. They warped within months after the original installation.
I disagree Ran. I purchased my Sturbridge cabinets from an online company and I couldnt be happier! These cabinets are the best bang for the buck. Were in the world can you find a sold plywood cabinet for an inexpensive price. Sure you can go to ikea and get cheap particle board cabinets. But JSI cabinets are solid plywood. If you have problems like what you mentioned you should contact the dealer you bought them from to obtain a warranty claim, Im sure them would fix them.
I disagree too. been the best cabinet for me and my family ! Must be a kitchen guy loosing his butt, because the pricing is great on jsi cabinets. I love them and so do my friends and family too.
I tell everybody about them! best kitchen out there for the money, , Hands down.
JSI Cabinetry is ok, but for higher quality cabinets for the same price go to http://www.CabinetsDirectRTA.com
I looked at the JSI Cabinetry line at a local cabinet maker/assembler yesterday and I liked what I saw solid hardwood fronts and plywood sides I then decided to check it on the net, once at their website I noticed none of the lines I had looked at were listed until I did further search and noticed its not the same JSI Cabinetry. The ones I liked are from Fall River, MA I have not inspected the cabinets thoroughly and really don't know the price as they are doing a plan for me.
I also got JSI Cabinetry from CabinetsDirectRTA.com and was extremely happy. They are good quality for the money and they came very quick.
Found cabinets to be better than most
Can t beat the price
Solid thick doors
Heavy plywood veneer shelves
Solid maple a good hardwood
No complaint here
Whether you think the quality is good or not, remember that all Chinese cabinets are made with plywood that contain high levels of formaldehyde a known carcinogen. So they might look good for a few years til the finish wears off and your skin falls off.
Ran, You need to jog to your phone and call your cabinet company you purchased JSI cabinets from to give them the opportunity to fix what you are complaining about. I don't see anywhere that you have tried to speak with anyone to inspect your issues for a resolution. Your not being very fair just slinging accusations around. I kind of take you with a grain of salt as you are the only guy? that had negative comments out of 20 others that loved their JSI cabinets. I think the poster that said you are a disgruntled cabinet guy is probably correct. Maybe you should see about becoming a dealer for JSI to keep you in business.
Happy new year Ran.
Hey Larrythe cabinetguy... Have you read the later reviews below? Seems like there are a hell of a lot more people frustrated with the same issues that I've reported. I think, at this point, I was being totally fair, especially about the quality of the hardware, the warping doors and the drawers not lining up correctly. I am going to have to hire someone to rebuild or somehow fix the drawers when I should have purchased a better quality in the first place. NEVER AGAIN...
I would totally agree with Ran ! In February 2010 my husband and I gutted our house after ten years and performed a totally remodel to our home. We purchased our JSI cabinets from Bay Area Cabinets in Pinellas Park, Florida. After reviewing their showroom and being told the quality of the cabinets for the price we purchased the JSI cabinets. After a week they were ready to be installed, at first I was totally impressed but a two years later I am very disappointed. My corner lazy-susan cabinet the wood inside is coming apart, there are numerous wood spots that have lost their wood stain and a couple of cabinets were the wood is warped at the bottom. The very disappointing factor is we spent a lot of money on a granite counter top, appliances, as well as flooring to update our kitchen and to have cabinets that will need to be replaced what seems to be another year. VERY DISAPPOINTING!
I have several of the issues discussed here (my kitchen is less than 2 years old):
nicks all over without the abuse
uneven finish, particularly around the inside edges of the panel borders
warping drawer panels...
The worst for us is that our kitchen bottom cabinets are mainly drawers and the hardware has failed from day one. No drawer stayed put straight. They needed to be constantly readjusted. However, after almost a 10 month stretch of time and long back and forths (say over 50 e-mails and a few phone calls), they sent in box and hardware replacements and approved an installer to come in to do the job. I will keep you posted on this one.
Although I don't deny that the price is great, they replace parts as needed and deliver fast, and the cabinets actually look great, living with the other issues is not fun. Bottom line, I would of probably paid more for a better quality kitchen to avoid the time and aggravation consumed on fixing these issues.
I have had many problems with my cabinets from JSI, and they are three weeks old. In my kitchen I have 9 drawers. One of the drawers came with bark inclusion that was so weak that it cracked on assembly. It was still sent out to my dealer, and then on to me. The company sent another out right away, but the second drawer box was assembled worse than the first. The dovetails didn't match up, and when they forced them together, they broke the dovetail off. The second drawer was a full 1/2 inch wider than the first. I took it back and another was sent on its way. This third box was assembled much better as far as the dovetails go, but the bottom rattles very loosely. So far I have seen 11 drawers from this company, and 3 were faulty. 27% of the drawers were faulty.
Other problems are that when the holes for the hinges are drilled at the factory, they are over reemed, so much so that the screws spin and spin with nothing to grab. As I am writing this, I have doors off with golf tees glued into the gouged holes. Hopefully this will tighten things up. Another problem is that some of the cabinets don't measure up to what were ordered. Some are larger, some smaller.
Although the customer relations are ok, the quality control is poor. I feel like I have bought into something that will always be a lemon.
We installed our Sturbridge cabinets in the Fall of 2009. We let the cabinets acclimate to our house for a nearly two weeks before installing them. Within a year, several doors warped - two by more than a half inch. We're not abusive or hard on our our cabinets, yet corners are showing siginificant wear of the finish. The stains and finish are thinly applied. The plywood boxes are still sturdy, but I did buttress them up between cabinets, applied glue in dados, etc.. The boxes are assembled Ikea style - but Ikea has stronger assembly and better finishes on the hardwoods. I'd say these are better looking than builder-grade stuff, but pretty much worth what you pay for them. They are ideal for a kitchen remodel just before you sell your house. In the grand scheme of total kitchen remodel costs, spending a few grand more for better cabinets is worth the effort.
I started having problems with my cabinets, warped drawer fronts, uneven doors and had to have some of the doors replaced after less than a month. They chip and nick easy and are hard to keep clean. I am so disappointed in them after waiting 14 years to update my kitchen. They are a piece of crap and not even worth what I paid for them.
I am speaking of the JSI Sturbridge cabinets.
Same comments here, having to find a replacement lazy-susan door because the metal broke on the hinges from opening/closing. Had mine installed in early 2010, so 4.5 years and a metal hinge breaks? Nicks are commonplace on these cabinets, very soft.
I have had them for about three years now and they are the WORST! There is some girl who answered the phone who is rude and hung up on me bc she wondered why it took so long for me to call. Do not waste your $ I would rather purchase IKEA which has a better warranty and better quality!
We bought cabinets from Northeast Factory Direct in Cleveland, Ohio. We were assured they were not made in China, they are. We have been fighting with the company for about 2 months now to take them back and return our money. They are pure trash. Frames are warped, dings, dents, colors don't match. I have a bout 100 pictures of $10, 000 worth of Chinese junk. Have contacted the State of Ohio Consumer Affairs, Cleveland BBB and next is on to an attorney.
I bought a home that had JSI cabinets and one drawer was missing. I emailed them to purchase a replacement. Here is the reply I received:
On Tue, 8/30/16, Susan Brilhante wrote:
Subject: RE: New Message From www.jsicabinetry.com
Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 9:08 AM
Hello, Thank you for contacting JSI. Unfortunately, our cabinet parts are not sold separately.
In other words, If you buy JSI Cabinets and something breaks, the entire cabinet is junk.
As Crammer would say... "Don't Buy, Don't Buy"
I recently order a line of cabinets through JSI and its a good concept but not worth the headache or money. Completely disappointed. The kitchen design shop I ordered them from was offering them as a new line of cabinets. The shipping was a pain and took longer then expected they said that JSI warehouse lost the PO. When they finally arrived some cabinet door hinge screw holes where stripped. Some drawer shelf close hardware was not installed properly. I understand that these are not top of the line cabinets and I was understanding of poor assembly quality. The finish scrapes and dents really easy. The thing that upset my the most was the crown molding finish flaked and chipped off when you cut the miters in it. After 3 days of the cabinets being installed I noticed the finish flaking off a few doors. You could take your finger nail and rub the finish right off. Luckily the supplier I bought them Gave me a full refund but down side is I ordered a different brand of cabinets and had to uninstall all the JSI cabinets. I haven't had a kitchen in 7 weeks and still have a few more weeks to go. Thanks JSI for such a quality product. Keep up the quality work china. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME NOT SAVING MONEY IN THE LONG RUN.
I can not deny that this customer may have received some defective items BUT I would not put down JSI and as a proud dealer, I choose to sell them over the competition because of their quality. Now every company had some duds pass thru once in a while. What is important is that the customer tell the dealer and the dealer have the parts replaced. I see too many people buying online or at a lazy dealer and are left to reconcile replacement orders themselves.
when I see my brands put down online I have to say to all of you people looking to buy cabinets. When selecting a dealer ask them how they handle follow up work like this. If they kick you to the manufacturer use a different dealer. Good luck!
We are an online cabinet retailer and are about to launch JSI cabinets on our website, https://www.walcraftcabinetry.com, as I have researched many cabinet manufacturers over the years, I am very impressed with JSI's quality. A few things that really stuck out to me was: 1) They are now using dovetail assembly. 2) The doors, drawers, and face frames are for the most part Maple--which is much harder than Russian Birch--the softer alternative that most RTA cabinet manufacturers use. 3) The interiors are natural Maple plywood which is a much more attractive plywood than birch (once again almost all RTA cabinet manufactures use Birch). 4) They use a lower VOC waterborne finish made by the well known Sherwin Williams. 5) The selection of cabinet options is unmatched. Bummer on the negatives, but after 20 years in business there sure are not many negatives out there for JSI. That is why we are on board!
I agree with everything posted here negatively about the quality of Jsi cabinets. I can sum up all this in 2 words instead of going on like everyone else. ABSOLUTE JUNK. Any questions to anybody thinking about purchasing these please feel free to call me and i will go into detail why these are JUNK and will save you the thousands that I threw out the window. [protected] And no I do not sell cabinets, nor do I have any affiliate to anyone that does. I am a auto mechanic. Jason
There is ONLY ONE JSI company, it is locted in China! So it does not matter who you bought the cabinets from, they all have the same origin. Most RTA cabinets in the USA are made in China, the companies might say "Made in the USA" BUT all the wood and pieces/parts come from CHINA, so they really should say "Assembled in the USA"...True American made with American wood/materials will cost you over $13, 000 for a 10x10 kitchen... JSI cabinets wil increase in price before 2018 ends due to the tariffs imposed by President Trump on Chinese goods...
Hello JayS RI,
I contacted to see if I could help resolve your issues and never heard back.
PS. On my post above, I was wrong. JSI uses Conversion Varnish from Sherwin Williams not waterborne.
As a JSI dealer we see it all the time. People are looking for cabinets on the low end of the pricing spectrum and expecting quality that would cost three times more. Sounds like you have some valid issues JayS RI. We have been selling JSI cabinets for quite some time now and have NEVER had any issues like that.
Here is a home we just completed using JSI cabinetry. Can't argue with the finished product!