Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov wrote:
True it's tougher, but we put down a laminate similar to Pergo and hated it.
Biggest complaunt was the noise reflection and the noise from the dogs walking
on it. It was also very hard to clean, to our satisfaction. We tried numerous
products but it always had a dull lustre is spots. A clean wet towel (water
0nly) was the onlt thing that would leave a good look to the floor.

On the next house we did a hardowwd and found it to be much better. Both quiter
and easier to clean. IMO, the Pergo must be so dammed hard it's a perfect sound
reflector. The hardwood is apparently a bit softer and attenuates the
reflections. I compare it to running on concrete versus running on asphalt. Both
would hurt lke hell if you smacked you noggin on them, but the asphalt has just
enough give to be easier on the feet.

If I was installing in prep for a sale, I'd use the laminate. If I was staying
and wanted beauty, I'd use the hardwood.

YMMV
Although I'm sure that hardwood flooring is superior in many ways,
thus the much higher price, there is a difference between "laminate
similar to Pergo" and Pergo. We have not yet installed our Pergo
laminate, but we have two friends who are home builders who both said
Pergo is different from other laminate. Also, according to the Pergo
Web site, if you use anything other than plain water or a water/
vinegar solution to clean the floor with, you will dull the look of
the flooring. I would assume most laminate is similar in that
respect. So, that is not a flaw in the laminate; it's by design.

Also, I did some tests on some Pergo samples and found an interesting
thing: Scratches did show up somewhat on the smooth-surface samples,
but I could not get any marks to show up on the textured samples.

To the OP: We had a similar experience at HD. The sales associate was
very knowledgeable and pointed out that the Pergo Prestige is 10mm
thick, which is the thickest on the market I think. The underlayment
already being attached is a big plus also. I'm very glad we went
there before settling for what we saw at Lowe's