Go with a reputable manufacturer if at all possible. Many of the cheaper products might hold-up o.k. but if you need installation advice or warranty service, you are likely going to be on your own. Do some research before you buy. Check out the company's website. (If they don't have one, this should be a red flag!) If possible get the company's technical support phone number and call it to make sure it is for real and there is actually a real person available should you need help.
There are good deals out there, but there are also retailers who buy flooring by the truckload at extreme discounts because the product is 2nd quality goods or a foreign "knock-off" of a quality product. Even brand names can sometimes be copied by unscrupulous foreign manufacturers. Copyright laws don't mean much in some countries.
Do your homework, and if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. For more ideas, check-out www.findanyfloor.com/BuyingGuides/HardwoodBuyersGuide.xhtml
