> Their designs may be innovative but the material quality is often so low you should consider it as disposable.

It really depends on what you get, the fake wood tables definitely don't last (though they're no worse than most "fake wood" alternatives using woodchips, you won't get those to last either).

And I recently got a bunch of expedit units[0], it's fakewood but it feels extremely sturdy, especially the "sides" (heavy as fuck too). I don't know how well they survive moving, but the part was cheap and doesn't feel cheap.

Really, they've got pretty much all the range, you can find cheap stuff that won't last and more expensive stuff which will. And their integration and parts are really clever (for expedit parts for instance, there are something like a dozen "basket"-type things which fit perfectly in the slots but can also be used as independent baskets with no issue, from the $5 "drona" which is just some tissue over cardboard — sufficient for laundry — to the $15+ pjas or knipsa woven baskets with metal structure which feel extremely solid)

> Most of their office chairs are crap and do no last.

Then again I can say that for all office chairs I've seen under $150. Love having screws digging in my ass after 2 weeks due to the shitty foam seat.

[0] http://www.ikea.com/us/search/?query=expedit

> I don't know how well they survive moving

Well, let me tell you my experience! When we moved I took apart our 5x5 Expedit shelving unit. When I had to put it back together, the heavy top shelf turned out to be bent upwards in the middle. It was only a few centimeters. I decided to unbend it with my foot, and through the resulting hole I found out that the Expedit are actually cardboard inside :)

Still, it's perfectly fine (there's books on top of the hole anyway), and straight again.

I picked the wrong colour on my 5x5 expedit for one of the 30 kilo boxes, and spent this Saturday carting it 2 u-bahn's and a bus back and forth on my shoulder to change it. I hurt. But it looks very nice beside the desk.

I have moved twice with my expedit, without never breaking anything. This is amazing how strong the stuff can be. Same for the lack tables, never broke any, even while seating on them totally drunk ^^ .

Ikea uses the same materials as the other manufacturers when talking about cheap furniture, it just uses it better :).

I moves with expedit up to three times. I only disposed (sold) it, because it did not fit anymore with my colorchoices.

So I was able to sell a expedit after three moves.

The kitchen in our home is a pure IKEA Showroom. Even the 40mm realwood top. that did cost about 300 $. We would have paid 2000 - 2500 $, if we would have ordered that one at a kitchen store. The whole kitchen didn't cost that much. You can buy cheap at IKEA. But you can also buy good stuff there. It costs a little bit more, but most times it really lasts.

and: We had a problem once with missing parts. What do I say. A Problem? NO, went ti IKEA, told the service desk, what the issue was, left 5 minutes later with all parts and to vouchers for free coffee.

We had two Expedit 6x6ft units in our old house and left them when we moved. Our excuse was that they were bolted to the wall (toddler friendly) and "fixtures". We tried to move something similar previously and it was never the same afterward. In our new home (bigger) we bought 7 Expedit units of different sizes and are essentially treating them as disposable here, too. That said, I don't really see much purpose in spending lots of money on solid wood bookshelves that aren't built-ins.

Ikea really has come up with a great way to attract and retain customers. --When you're in college and/or in your first apartment, you often can't afford great furniture, so you buy the cheap Ikea stuff that works, but isn't designed to last. A couple of years later, however, you have a bit more money and want to upgrade (or replace the broken furniture), and Ikea has higher quality options available that still don't break the bank, but look nicer and will last much longer.

My main issue with upgrading out of Ikea is that I have no idea where to go. Last time I walked into a "real" furniture store, I got a very sleazy feeling from all the salesmen in suits standing by the door ready to pounce.

I don't think I've ever seen (or at least noticed) any of Ikea's higher quality options. The price differences just seem like normal price variation between models to me. Is there any way to tell that a particular item is from their better line?

That said, I think I paid something like $150 for my Jerker desk and it's still going strong seven years and five moves later.

The price difference is the biggest differentiator, that and finding the stuff that looks more sturdy. If it looks like real wood and weighs like real wood, it most likely is real wood.

I just got back from a trip to Ikea to buy multiple computer desks, and got the really cheap particle board ones to save money, but there were definitely some nicer desks there that looked even better that felt like real wood.

Personally I think IKEA's partly bad reputation is 100% based on their cheapest furniture in their collection. They do have a lot of more expensive furniture also which has a lot higher material quality. In other words, you get what you pay for and that rule also covers IKEA.

Most commodity furniture is like this, if you ever look inside a modern couch you'll be amazed how cheap and poor quality the innards are - I mean plastic instead of metal, and low grade wood that's holding the weight and under tension. I guess it's like most things in modern life, if you don't pay over the odds for quality, then it's all superficial.

I agree and disagree with you at the same time.

Some items are indeed crap, and I won't buy them (especially in their first version). But some others, including office chairs suit me well. I bought 3 of them at least, and never experienced any problem.

The lack table will surely break soon, but what do you exactly expect from a 10 bucks table ? :)

I don't know exactly out of France, but the other furniture stores are usually more expensive, and offer crappier stuff than Ikea. (As long as you don't search for a 200 euro table of course).

"But some others, including office chairs suit me well."

Investing in a proper (edit: very good quality) office chair for my development rig was certainly one of the best investments I made. I don't know if you've seen it, but if not I suggest to take a look at http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2008/07/investing-in-a-qual...

Already read this article. But I have a weird way of working . I sit on my chair like a yoggi ^^. Sounds weird but work for me :)

http://goo.gl/VB6Ys

Yes. My $300 dollar chair is horrible for how I sit. But how do you align good desk/monitor height with your elevated knees? I need a desk that has minimal surface area in front and center, so my knees have room to pop up.

but don't you still need good lower back support? If you don't mind sharing, what chair are you using? I'm genuinely interested.

Sure.

I used to have this one (the older version, with better back support) http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/00146677/

But with my new flat, I still dont have much furniture and use this (shame on me I know :)). http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/50221711/

I might search for a really nice chair in several months though. I would probably go for something like this : http://www.ikea.com/fr/fr/catalog/products/S19896843/.

In my opinion, best back support is simply not to stay hours without getting up on the same chair. The yoga position keeps your (or at least mine) back automatically in a correct position.

I woldn't buy a desk, chair or couch from Ikea cheapest options, but I have some bookcases, shelves and so on. I like them because they're hackable[0] and price is also a factor. I have great desk and couch but my other furniture in "office" changes all the time - I buy some Lack, Expedit and Capita and build stuff. Angled shelves, messed bookcase, stands from drawers ...

[0] - http://www.ikeahackers.net/