This report has been produced with the help of cross stitchers from all over the world. None of the opinions expressed are necessarily mine.
HERITAGE STITCHCRAFT: first class quality kits, nice and big in print, charts printed twice (one with backstitching and one without), plenty of good quality fabric, huge easy to read charts printed on brilliant white, clear and easy to understand instructions.
ANCHOR: generous fabric, lots of presorted threads, chart printed twice (one with backstitching on and one without).
DIMPLES: has two charts which makes it easier (one with backstitching, one without).
LANARTE: very generous with threads.
CROSS MY HEART: plenty of thread left over from Amish Quilt Kits (NB: writer did 32 of them!)**
MILL HILL: heaps of thread and lots of beads.
DMC: most kits are really nice. No problems.
BOLD SHEEP: nice quality of aida, presorted floss, excellent quality of floss, lots of floss.
GERDA BENGTSSON: knows how to use symbols that reflect the tonal quality of the colour (these are black and white charts).
EVA ROSENSTAND: kits are very pricey but really worth it. Quality fabric, DMC floss and easy to read charts.
THEA GOUVERNEUR & THE HEART'S CONTENT KITS: everything is separated and labeled, harder to work and more expensive but well worth it.
VICTORIA SAMPLER: generous with threads but have omitted threads on occasion, company will send extra floss if requested.
SEMCO: plenty of thread and often comes with a thread sorting card, but they use threads that twist and knot quicker than DMC
DIMENSIONS KITS: Notorious for being stingy with the amount of fabric, floss is under their own numbers. Floss provided comes with a colour guide, but it's bundled together in 2 or 3 shanks and is hard to work out. Fraying thread, half stitches (a lot of cross stitchers are not keen on fractional stitches)** Quality of floss is inferior (especially Paragon and Creative Accents which are a division of Dimensions). Same symbols in different colours make charts hard to read.
DIMENSIONS GOLD KITS: Fabric is skimpy, aida in kits can be very stiff, not enough fabric for framing.
DIMENSIONS CRAFTS: backstitches printed on top of stitches - this obliterated the colour symbols.
BUCILLA KITS (PLAID): very bad for floss organization and description. Instructions included are very vague, problems with floss shortages, chart errors. Backstich lines over whole stitches. Not enough fabric for the design (even without an edge for framing). Poor thin thread that keeps breaking and is in harsh colours.
LORRI BIRMINGHAMS CHARTS: Notorious for showing one picture with certain colours that are different from the colours called for in the chart (or provided in the kit. Errors in charts.
CANDAMAR DESIGNS: floss shortages, floss frayed and broke easily.
ELISA WILLIAMS KITS: Tend to be confusing in their directions. Identical instructions for each kit. Not enough thread provided.
SHEPHERD'S BUSH: very skimpy with thread allowances.
JANLYNN: Worst quality floss, no twist so it kept breaking, chart errors. TW kits have floss shortages.
DESIGN CONNECTION: worst non-aida fabric
TW KITS (NOT THE JANLYNNE ONES): had sufficient floss, but not enough beads.
FOX COLLECTION (THEY MAKE UP THEIR OWN KITS AND RE-SELL): Not enough thread, inferior thread. Thread conversion (from DMC to whatever is included in kits) confused and inferior, colours were not correct matches.
LEISURE ARTS: Hard to decipher symbols (eg: a very dark green next to a dark green). Uses the same symbols in different coloured squares.
TEXTILE HERITAGE: plenty of thread, but the colours did not match the finished product. Instructions were "limited".
BENT CREEK SNOW GLOBE SERIES: printed on deep red cardstock so a working copy couldn't be made.
MIRABILIA: fabric not big enough and cut crooked. Company did not respond to e-mail.
** = comment by me