I used this company and was very happy with the service and price: http://graysonstone.com/ Even today, two years later, I recommend them. Their bottom line price was resonable and I still have not found what I purchased to be out of line when comparing to other companies. They were clean, did what they said, etc.
The company, Seconds and surplus is also great! I used them for my bar counters. They dont have installers. So you pick a piece and they have people that you contact to install it for you. They are great if you are experienced and/or you do not have a lot of hundreds of feet of counter space. I am sure you can do big kitchens there. I just was not experienced enough to.
Granite tiles is the cheapest if you can maintain the grout. Changing tile direction makes it look more custom. I had them in a previous house.
The installers are not the problem when choosing granite pieces. When I researched, I learned a lot about the rip-offs that can be associated with granite which is already expensive. There are different widths, the colors, the design of the edges all have different costs which people don't always explain. The 2" is cheaper but then the edge design charge to make it look good is extra so you might as well upgrade to the 3". Some colors are more expensive than others. Some people are able to live with a color that is $10 a foot cheaper. The most common is Saint Celica and is the cheapest price/foot.
I don't know how other installers operate but Grayson sent me to the company they purchase from and I was able to pick out an exact piece of granite based on the veins, the patterns, etc. based on what my tastes were. Granite is as unique as a diamond or other God (nature)made mineral and I thought it was great to pick the piece I liked. Then Grayson shaped it.
Good luck! It was kind of nerve racking for me, but it was worth the time I invested. This was not an impulse purchase for me, but I get so many compliments on what I chose. Most people even think I changed my cabinets because the counters made the cabinets look new and different.