Although IKEA is best known for affordable home decor, you can buy an entire kitchen there for as little as $3,000, before appliances and labor.
If you do decide to make it a one-stop shop, should you also get your appliances at IKEA? Who makes them and are they any good? Even though some of the names are odd, most of the appliances are manufactured by Whirlpool. Consumer Reports recently tested a variety of appliances available at IKEA, including ranges, refrigerators, dishwashers, a cooktop and a microwave. The results were mixed.
The $280 Lagan dishwasher Consumer Reports tested is noisy and the cycle time is long at 160 minutes. But the $400 dishwasher, the Renlig does an excellent job cleaning and drying dishes, and takes only 115 minutes.
The Betrodd gas range for $800 did a better job cooking than some non-IKEA models that cost $2,000 more. It gave very good baking results and has a convection mode. But it didn’t do a good job broiling burgers.
The $1,500 Nutid french-door refrigerator has excellent temperature control and energy efficiency, performing better than similar refrigerators that are double the price.
If you’re installing more than one large appliance, shopping in one place can be convenient. All but the Lagan line are covered by a five-year warranty. The industry standard is just one year.
IKEA has stores in 25 states-- and some of their products are available online.
