Any specie of recovery wood, has a lot of defects, it's used, that is its unique beauty. You cannot manufacture the look of recovery.

On a solid recovery floor.. we remove most defects, but not all.. you must buy 15% extra so you can remove further defects that you feel are excessive. On engineered 10 % is usually enough.

The floor must be selected for the area it is to cover.. Most installers want to lay the floor as fast as possible.. They will not take the time to lay this floor properly for maximum beauty. they must select and cut out defects. They must select the best looking for the focal areas, put average into noncritical area's.

This takes 2 or 3 times as long as the 2 3/4" sand in place oak they are used to. So they underbid, and rush the floor..result? I have seen 2' pieces in dorwalkways, when there was 6' available. Less than desirable in open area's,  great looking planks in closets!

So be very careful selecting the installer.. you need a craftsman, not a speedlowball..