Kitchen recommendations

Meepster

CKdesigner wrote: »

Magnet trade are at the lower end of the kitchen market and I think cannot be compared to the likes of Schueller and some other German makes.

Edit to add: Magnet Trade kitchens are EXACTLY the same quality as Magnet Retail kitchens and certainly cannot be classed as "low end"

Low end is B&Q, Ikea, Homebase etc.

cheeswright

theres also wren
http://www.wrenkitchens.com/

the ones in the showroom look really nice

Doozergirl

Meepster wrote: »

Edit to add: Magnet Trade kitchens are EXACTLY the same quality as Magnet Retail kitchens and certainly cannot be classed as "low end"

Low end is B&Q, Ikea, Homebase etc.

CK said "lower end". Whilst they are better than Ikea and B&Q, I'd agree with that comment. There are a lot of kitchens out there and Magnet sit comfortably towards the lower end with inflated prices, IMO.

eattothebeat

My budget is around £29,000 for new kitchen and extension. The guy that is going to fit it is a family friend and builder so willing to do bits of the job for cash. Extension is going to be 3x4m sq and the kitchen isn't too big. I would like a mid range kitchen if I can afford it oh and underfloor heating and the list could go on...do you think this is a realistic budget??

McG_3

We had In-toto to design and fit our kitchen. They have them all around the country but we used In-toto at Redbrick mills in Batley West Yorkshire and they were fantastic. Their kitchens are German and very well built. We had a small problem with a pull out cupboard after 3 years and they ordered us another one and fitted it free when we rang to ask their advice. Great lads, great service, not cheap but worth every penny.

Doozergirl

Well let's stick the likes of Clive Christian, Pggenpohl, Smallbone and SieMatic up the top end.

And we'll put the John Lewis type kitchens, Mereway, Alno and other nice German companies in the middle.

I don't sit at home getting sexually excited about the minutae of kitchens, but you open the doors, look inside at the carcass and wobble the drawers and there's nothing between Magnet and Howdens. 18mm board is not exactly top of the range is it?

I've had the displeasure of shifting built units from a few different brands now and you can tell the difference in quality not only by looking but simply when you lift them up, there is such a vast difference in what they're made of.

I'm moving house soon. I've been living my bargain John Lewis/Mereway kitchen for three years. When I get my new house it's either going to be another one of them or one of the cheaper German kitchens, supply only from an independent because I want a kitchen that doesn't look immediately like everyone eles, proper colour coded, heavy carcasses and chunky doors. It will not be a Magnet kitchen. If I wanted a Magnet kitchen, I'd save myself the money and buy one from Howdens instead. When people have to explain why their kitchens are better than another without it being obvious, then they're pretty much the same in my book.

abankerbutnotafatcat

I've been following this and various other similar threads with interest as I'm in the new kitchen market myself and feeling I need to learn more as it's a big spend and there's a lot of choice.

It seems to me that carcass thickness does seem to be one of the main indicators of quality with 18mm being quoted as the minimum.

On that basis which outfits should be avoided if possible for having less than 18mm?? Doozergirl, you imply that the top end manufacturers are thicker than 18mm - what thickness are premium standards?

Are there any other indicators to look out for other than soft close drawers which seem to be standard?

tallmum

I had a kitchen from Johnson+Johnson which was fabulous quality but cost a lot less than high end equivalent - made in Manchester (they operate from Trafford Park and made all the cabinets there) - not sure how their prices would fit or whether you would be in their region. I know that J+J kitchens have been fitted in show homes around Cheshire (£500k plus)

Doozergirl

abankerbutnotafatcat wrote: »

On that basis which outfits should be avoided if possible for having less than 18mm?? Doozergirl, you imply that the top end manufacturers are thicker than 18mm - what thickness are premium standards?

Someone will take great pains to explain it all, I'm sure. But different kitchens are made with different quality of board so you might get 18mm of something a lot less dense than something else.

What you buy will depend on your budget entirely and the house you put it in. But really, for some longevity, I'd want something that arrives on the doorstep properly assembled and is built solid, not built from a flat-pack somewhere else. But if your budget is £1000 then you go with what you can buy which is going to be a flatpack kitchen. Just make sure you get a decent fitter! I've not seen a DIY kitchen yet that didn't look it.

If I'm on a tight budget then I simply hang out in the off the shelf kitchen part of B&Q where you will often see certain ranges of doors with massive mark downs. If you're really lucky then it will be a 15% off weekend and you can get an extra 15% off those and the carcasses. Or Ikea.
More of a budget, I'd buy a Howdens kitchen because I cam buy them more cheaply than Wickes or Magnet.
And more of a budget again I'd pick what John Lewis sell which is normally sold under the Wentworth brands for less money by independents. I can't imagine wanting to spend more than that on a kitchen really as I'd still like to change it after a few years for the sake of it. But I've never stayed anywhere long enough to ever think about changing!

But that's just me. I can see and feel the difference between each of those in quality, I'm not really interested in the different brands of hinges and stuff!

jonnypb

Second Nature are very good.

Always found magnet to be very overpriced for what they are.