Besides appliances, cabinets are one of the biggest line items in a kitchen budget. Homeowners want the best looking, most functional cabinets on the market, but they don't want to go bankrupt over them.

How, then, can you tell a really good cabinet from the shoddy impostors?

''There are a number of things to consider: the materials, the construction features, hardware and the finish,'' says John Troxell, design director for Wood-Mode, a high-end kitchen cabinet company based in Kreamer, Pa.

''All become key items,'' he says.

''In terms of construction materials, they must have durable, tight, flush joints,'' he adds.

MATERIAL OF CHOICE

``The actual materials depend somewhat on where you live. Particle board can be a durable material, but it has a potential problem in high-humidity areas like South Florida.''

Plywood is the material of choice for many cabinet manufacturers.

''Plywood construction is considered solid wood,'' says JoAnn Parns, kitchen showroom supervisor at Expo Design Center in Miami. ``The boxes [the basic cabinet] are plywood while the frame is solid wood. Plywood is very strong and accommodates differences in moisture.''

Plywood cabinet interiors are often covered in melamine for easy maintenance. Solid wood cabinets are available in birch, cherry, hickory, pine, poplar, oak and maple. Cabinets also should have adjustable shelving to suit a variety of storage needs.

There are so many manufacturers of kitchen cabinets, and each has several styles and price points. Just how important is a brand name?

''The brand becomes important in terms of product warranties,'' says Troxell. ``It gives you a reference point, something to benchmark your expectations against. If working with a local firm, yes, word of mouth can give you some idea. But there's a little bit more of a risk there. It's realistic that finishes will be of higher durability and quality with a brand name than you will get from a neighborhood shop.''

Some cabinet shop owners do give one-year warranties, which is standard in the business. One is Anthony ''Tony'' Sanchez, president of Hi-Tech Cabinets in Hialeah Gardens. In business 13 years, he said his customers have all come to him ''by word of mouth -- I have never advertised.'' Besides building kitchens in private homes, Sanchez does a lot of kitchens in model and custom homes in Broward County developments.

As a small business owner with seven employees, Sanchez believes he can compete with the big manufacturers when it comes to quality.

''A big or small company can do custom work,'' he says. ``If you need a real oddball cabinet, I can build it. Anything the big companies make, I can make.''

While kitchen showrooms have displays for customers to examine, a small cabinet shop may not have much to show. Customers should ask the owner to show them examples of his work and ask previous customers how pleased they are with the quality and whether they would they hire the same shop again.

Pricing kitchen cabinets is difficult because there are so many variables. Prices can run from about $65 per linear foot (upper and lower cabinets a food wide) to more than $1,000.

The least expensive are cabinets in stock -- those already manufactured in standard sizes and a limited number of styles in woods and laminates. People in a hurry -- such as a landlord who wants to remodel a kitchen before renting a house or apartment -- often opt for stock cabinets.

But when you escalate your choice to semi-custom or totally custom cabinetry, prices can be all over the chart.

VARIABLES TO PRICING

''A number of factors will affect the price,'' Troxell points out. ``The configuration of the cabinetry, door styles, finishes, hardware, interior options -- all affect the price. You could do the same basic look and get three or four prices.''

Troxell says that within Wood-Mode's product line, a homeowner could choose a lower price door style and basic finish and have a kitchen that costs $30,000. Add special figurations and expensive items such as granite countertops, and the same size kitchen could jump in price to $70,000.

Some kitchen manufacturers are so custom that they won't even attempt a ballpark figure for their cabinets. One is bulthaup, a German manufacturer that opened a factory-owned showroom in the Miami Design District a couple of years ago.

''We don't wrap cabinets around a room. Everything is in blocks,'' explains showroom manager Peter DuPlace. ``Within the blocks is all the information provided by the client [such as how many sets of dishes must be accommodated]. We can't give a price for linear foot because it's impossible to produce the same block twice.''

''Prices are misleading,'' says Beryl Armstrong, a kitchen designer who with Linda Lieber owns LA Associates in the Miami Design District. ``We never give a price by linear foot. If you change the color, it can change the price. We give free estimates, but not a linear price.''

Home Depot and Expo Design Center, on the other hand, post prices per linear foot on the kitchens they display in their stores.

The price of a kitchen also depends on the choices homeowners make. The more detail requested, the more design work is involved. Then there's the installation costs. Complex trim work, moldings, exotic tile applications on back splashes -- all will boost the price.

The ''integrated look'' of today's kitchen also adds to the budget for cabinetry. Refrigerators, freezers, wine coolers and dishwashers are sporting cabinet doors, adding to the fine furniture look.

One of the obligations of a kitchen specialist is to bring customers down to earth. Does a childless couple really need a huge pantry? Do you need the engineered corner cabinets when a Lazy Susan will do? Would a stained finish suit as much as expensive lacquer?

''We address all their needs and as many of their wants as their budget allows,'' said Debra Hopkins-Melero, a certified kitchen designer at Expo Design Center, which offers kitchens from nine manufacturers. ``People really spend big money on appliances but they are more conservative with cabinetry. They want the biggest bang for the buck.''

Hopkins-Melero sees a trend toward contemporary styles in kitchens, which have less trim work and simpler door styles than traditional styles.

''Our customers are saying, keep it simple. Don't give me too much froufrou,'' she said. ``They know that the more mods [modifications] the more money.''