The brands push their pros and strive to be the best. I would check the specifications on thicknesses, hard wear layer, underlayment specs and compare. Reviews might not do justice as most internet reviews are triggered by a grievance or enquiry and not a purposeful compliment. I would compare exact specs online to give your own judgement but I would definitely recommend getting hybrid flooring, they have a wide range of qualities.

I've seen a lot of scratching with laminate, a dog would probably add to this issue. Spend as much as you can for something with some quality to it, there is so much hybrid on the market it is going to pay to do the research. I'm currently considering cork - these days it looks different to brown square tiles from the 70s! https://www.markettimbers.com.au/product/cork-flooring/

Hi people and thanks for any feed back you can give me. I am installing premium hybrid flooring through our place and I have run into 2 issues. Piano ? Can you put a piano on hybrid flooring(obviously would have protection under wheels) was more worried if could still expand and contract 2 Wood heater. Can it be layed under the hearth and heater? I would just lay up to it but heater will be relocated in 12 months to the extension. I would really appreciate any advice Cheers

To give another perspective, engineered wood can be sanded and refinished and is the only flooring type that adds value to your home. We have replaced an engineered floor with a new one after 15 years ( it had water damage from the dishwasher and we were replacing the kitchen, otherwise I would have had it sanded and resealed. During that time we had two kids, teens, adults, a cat and dogs rampaging across it. Just prior to replacing it had a couple of dents as well as some scratches under where we ( stupidly) had a magnetic knife block that wasn’t quite magnetic enough. Engineered floors are made with natural timber so each board is unique. Vinyl is a printed image of wood that is repeated in the floor. Pic of blackbutt from recent install.