IKEA’s Worst Products, According to Its Customers
Despite IKEA’s notoriously confusing assembly instructions and maze-like store layout, you can find some home-furnishing deals there that you just can’t find anywhere else. However, not everything that’s offered up by the Swedish juggernaut is worth its low price-tag. Here are eight IKEA products you should consider steering clear of, according to customers we spoke with at the Ikea in Brooklyn. To be sure, opinions will vary and this is not a comprehensive survey. But while Ikea makes some much-loved items, these eight are worth a second thought before you add them to your shopping cart.
1. ALGOT Mesh Baskets
(Photo: ikea.com)
These may look like a nifty way to store things like craft supplies, towels or toiletries. But the construction quality is just not up to snuff. Brooklyn IKEA shopper Karol Petreschock remarks, “I bought these last summer and about two months later the drawers wouldn’t stay on their tracks and they wouldn’t close the whole way…My husband ended up putting them out on the curb.” With many other ways to maximize your home storage space, you don’t need to shell out for these.
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2. BALKARP Sofa Bed
(Photo: ikea.com)
IKEA actually offers some high quality and sturdy sofa beds that are well worth the price. But this option, their cheapest available, isn’t worth the money you’ll save, one shopper says. Manuel Behrens, an IKEA patron for over 15 years complains, “I bought this [sofa bed] for my studio apartment thinking that would be all I needed for the place. But it couldn’t handle all the use I gave it at all. There was wear and tear showing on it right away.”
3. MALM Bed Frame
(Photo: ikea.com)
When shopping at IKEA, it’s a good rule of thumb to look for solid wood items. This particle board bed frame is a typical example of what you want to avoid. Shopper Mac McCall explains, “We bought this frame and now the sides are bowed out so I had to attach two reinforcing bars…and the casters for the drawers get stuck all the time.” Since you probably want your bed frame to be reliable and sturdy, take a pass on this one.
4. LACK Coffee Table
(Photo: ikea.com)
This particle board table with a veneer surface is a popular Ikea staple. But unless you’re purchasing furniture that will only be seeing very light use, avoid it! Just listen to Brooklyn IKEA shopper Scott Cretul tell it, “It lasted maybe three months before you could put your hand on top of it and wiggle it around and it would sway back and forth. And I would tighten the screws as tight as I could but it made no difference.” Maybe this coffee table’s name is a little too fitting.
5. ALRIK Swivel Chair
(Photo: ikea.com)
The old adage of getting what you pay for certainly applies to this chair, which IKEA offers for under $25. It may have a cool and lightweight look that at first blush seems worth risking the low price, but heed shopper Brett Beville’s warning, “The thing actually is pretty sturdy for [the money], but it kills my back,” he says. "I can stand like 15 minutes in it until I have to stand up. Plus it’s just too small for a six-foot-tall person.”
6. ODESTRAD Duvet Cover
(Photo: ikea.com)
“They’re just itchy!” declared IKEA customer Hoyt Hancock. And itchiness is the absolute last thing you want in a bedlinen. Duvets can be a real classy addition to your bedroom, and despite their reputation, they’re not all that hard to put on. But please, do yourself a favor: look — and feel! — carefully when shopping for one.
7. POKAL Glass
(Photo: ikea.com)
You might think at .79 cents a pop, you can’t go wrong with buying a bunch of these and just rotating them out as they begin to show signs of wear. If that’s your strategy, then these may work for you. But, “…they get foggy really quick.” Brooklyn patron Michele Luger explains. So, if you’re looking for a lasting set of glassware, IKEA has many other options with better reputations to choose from.
8. EKARP Table Lamp Base
(Photo: ikea.com)
According to one unhappy customer, “I wasn’t happy with it…The bulb they recommended was this puny pale color and the base is rickety. When I would go to turn it off, it could tip over…or just shake and I would have to grab it.” says Michael Nease.
The hue of a bulb can make or break a room’s ambience, so don’t skimp on that. Also, you don’t want to have to be so delicate when you’re fumbling to turn on your bedside lamp in the dark. Spend a few extra bucks and go with a sturdier choice. You’ll be glad you did.
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