Check the comparison between Marble Stone (natural) & Engineered Stone (fake). And to wrap your head around that the fake stuff is twice as expensive… What?! They say Quartz is resistant to heat only to 125 degrees! Otherwise it will melt, because the ingredients are sand & resin (plastic). They also say it’s resistant to scratches and stains, but resistant to a certain extent. It still can scratch and/or stain. If you drop the slab on the ground, it’s likely that it won’t break. So the fabrication may be less because it doesn’t take skilled fabricators or installers. It’s all the rage on HGTV right now, but most people don’t even know that its is not even close to natural stone. They also claim that it’s “GREEN”, which it is absolutely not! I wouldn’t put a plastic fork in the bonfire, let alone a whole plastic countertop! Imagine the pollution it emits when manufacturing the material. And of course it’s not biodegradable. I believe that it’s a Fad; just like Corian was. Most importantly, fabricating engineered quartz countertopsis the most dangerous countertop to fabricate. It has approximately 95% Crystalline Silica, which can cause cancer. which can lead to Silicosis and ultimately death. Natural is always better now and in the long run. Use Natural Stone and it will last forever.