Kitchen remodel help needed

October 22, 2009 1:52 PM

I am doing a kitchen remodel and need to pick out cabinet hardware. I have looked at pulls from Ikea that cost $10/pair and look identical to ones from higher-end manufacturers that sell for $20-$40 each. That is a huge difference in price. I am wondering, could anyone tell me if it is worth the difference? What is the reason for the huge price difference? Do the ones from Ikea look terrble after a few years? I am spending a lot of money on this kitchen remodel and don't want to skimp on this if it makes a difference -- but I also don't want to throw away hundreds of dollars on hardware if the pulls from Ikea will be just as good.
posted by modernist1 to home & garden (8 comments total)

I just helped my best friend remodel his kitchen and he used IKEA knock-offs of DWR handles. We installed them and they work perfectly fine, the only thing is when I accidentally dropped one on his newly pours cement floor, the corner of the handle became dented and scratched. But seeing as how I didn't have the expensive pulls to compare scratch/dent damage, I can only imagine that it would have been harmed the same way.

Just make sure you use good quality screws to attach them.
posted by banannafish at 1:56 PM on October 22

We had an Ikea kitchen with Ikea pulls in our old house for 2-3 years. The pulls didn't wear noticeably during that time - they seem pretty much identical to other pulls I've seen in terms of materials. To be fair, I didn't spend a ton of time comparing them as I never really thought about going crazy on cabinet hardware.
posted by GuyZero at 2:08 PM on October 22

When looking for pulls a few years ago, we had the idea to go to hardware stores and look at everything that could be used as pulls.
We ended up using a kind of U-shaped steel braces normally used in plumbing. They look great as pulls and visitors always asked us where we found them. We paid less than $1.5 each. (I sent you a pic through gmail).
But there were other possibilities, like big bolts and other stuff.
posted by bru at 2:49 PM on October 22 [3 favorites]

If you're using contemporary pulls made from solid stainless steel, there's not going to be a difference worth paying for. Stainless is, for your purposes, stainless.

There can be a significant difference when dealing with other materials. For example, a cheap brass plating can look like crap very quickly, whereas solid brass lasts for generations.
posted by jon1270 at 3:46 PM on October 22 [1 favorite]

My carpenter recommended Ikea pulls for some work he just did for me, because they're cheap, and he uses them in his kitchen. We've been friends for twenty years and I know that he wouldn't put shoddy stuff in his own house.

This was all brushed nickle, by the way.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:14 PM on October 22

Another good source for reasonably priced pulls and knobs is Rockler. I've purchased over 20 brushed nickel pulls for about $2.50 each from them. They get daily use and are in perfect shape after more than years of use.
posted by onhazier at 6:23 PM on October 22 [1 favorite]

Is this for your house, or for a rental or redo? Ikea hardware is fine for a few years but it wears out fast. That's the difference.

If you want sturdier hardware that isn't so spendy, Rockler is great, as is Lee Valley.
posted by dogrose at 9:43 PM on October 22

i want to point out that you can buy 4-8 ikea handles for the cost of one "professional" handle. As long as the ikea handle lasts 1/4 or 1/8 of the time the pro handle, you still break even.
posted by phritosan at 9:00 AM on October 23