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trofast vs kallax

10 replies

3pigsinblanketsandasausagerole · 11/10/2014 15:21

Which is better for toys? And why?

OP posts:
BlackbirdOnTheWire · 11/10/2014 19:59

Depends in age of child and type of toy.

We have Trofast in DS's room and it is absolutely perfect - Duplo, cars, Playmobil bits and bobs (he's 2) and a couple of Playmobil cars/planes sit on top.

We have the old Expedit on DD's (5) room. It's a bit hit and miss, tbh. She has quite a few big Playmobil things - some of them fit perfectly in the cubes and thus look a lot neater, but there is a jumble of stuff on top that's too big to fit e.g. Pirate ship and it looks so untidy. She also has a 3x2 unit in castors with crates, used for Lego, all the Playmobil contents (people, accessories, etc), and similar. These wouldn't have worked in the inserts for Expedit - too deep, not wide/long enough for good rummaging. On the other hand, the Expedit shelves are very useful for mixed books/toys and the drawer inserts are good for her 'important bits and pieces'. At the moment, she has two cupboard inserts unused, and two pull-out box inserts unused. The crates in the 3x2 are stuffed, and she has a fabric storage bag in her wardrobe full of dolls, dolls' clothes and accessories which couldn't be stored in the Expedit due to size.

I can see it becoming more useful as she gets older and the books and toys get smaller, but don't think it will ever be perfect for Lego and Playmobil. The Trofast unit, on the other hand, is great for small children but is very utilitarian, and is limited to the drawers - we put shelves in another upright Trofast unit and use it as a bookcase and display unit, but because there's no back, everything falls down behind. I can see it being outgrown fairly early on, but has a longer life for children interested in Lego, Playmobil, cars and trains and other small but chunky parts. Less for complete toys, books, puzzles, jewellery/beading/other teeny tiny parts, etc - spaces not big enough, trays too big, even the shallow ones.

We definitely thought of both as make-do temporary options - we're planning to move house at some point reasonably soon, and will probably go for some kind of mixed modular storage like GLTC's Northcote or Aspace which will last into secondary school. I can't see Trofast earning the space it takes up past around 8 or 9, when DS will need more storage space for clothes, sports equipment, books and a desk. Expedit/Kallax may still be useful at that point but again it's the lack of versatility that will eventually let it down, and the increasing need for other furniture.

erin99 · 11/10/2014 20:54

Kallax is super-efficient and gets the most stuff into the least space. However stuff gets buried and lost in the huge boxes, and IMO once they are out of massive bits of plastic, the cubes contain almost too much. It was fantastic when we had limited space - a 4x2 stored literally all their toys.

Trofast is less attractive and holds less, but the shallow boxes are perfect for loose bits and bobs. DC can pull out a tray and see everything in it, and the main size boxes are also a manageable size. It doesn't suit things in rectangular boxes (games and puzzles) so well because of the rounded corners. The main boxes don't look that different in size to the fabric kallax cubes but are pretty much 50% of the volume, but in many ways this is a positive as it's more manageable for DC to filter through and carry.

We had both for a while, but now we have settled on Billy with a few transparent boxes and some baskets. We still have the expedit to store stuff to rotate onto the shelves, but DC use what they see on the shelves. They are 5 and 7.

Yoruba · 13/10/2014 10:12

Can I suggest another alternative? Stuva!! It's FABULOUS!!

We had trofast and got rid as it was too limiting. E.g. Rocket ship / pirate ship that doesn't fit in boxes. Too hard to organise etc.

Considered expedit / kallax and it was working out £££ if you didn't want the cheapo boxes.

Settled on Stuva and honestly I still say how much a love it every time I put toys away. Can adjust shelves to fit big / little toys / baskets. Different sizes baskets or some things straight on shelves and then the doors shut and it's all gone!! We have the bench which is great too, and a small cupboard with doors and no shelves at the bottom of one unit which holds push along penguins, dolly seat, ride ons etc but the dc also love to hide in whenever possible!
I really couldn't recommend it more!

zoemaguire · 13/10/2014 18:52

I vote for kallax. I think it is pretty versatile actually. Dcs have a 4x4. Small playmobil and Lego go in the drawer inserts, cuddly toys and dressing up stuff in the big fabric boxes, and intermediate-sized playmobil in plastic boxes I found in local hardware store, two of which fit one on top of the other in one cubby-hole. Then we use the rest of the cubbyholes as shelves for books, puzzles, games etc. Downstairs we have a massive 5 by 6 expedit (hacked together!) that fits a mountain of craft stuff, plus all my music and recipe books. I have got through many different storage solutions in the past but this combination has been the best by a very long way.

3pigsinblanketsandasausagerole · 13/10/2014 18:54

Off to look up stuva

OP posts:
ilovehotsauce · 13/10/2014 19:00

Watching!

bronya · 13/10/2014 19:10

We have Trofast for a 2 year old. He can't reach the very top for boxes (we have the tallest ones) so they are bookshelves that he can reach from his stool. It works really well and I love it (as does he)!

Mrsgrumble · 13/10/2014 19:13

Similar dilemma here. We have both expedit and trofast but I want the stuva wardrobe for taller things. Also like the fact you can shove in stuff and shut the doors.

The trofast is great as you can bring out the trays one at a time. Expedit is a case of dumping a whole load of toys out. I does store more though.

jellyandsoup · 13/10/2014 19:25

We have all of it here in various places, I love the kallax although I do agree sometimes the boxes are too big. Ds has trofast for Lego, to be honest I dont like it but it is reat for Lego and as others have said he can manage it himself. dc also have stuva wardrobes, which are fab, but the bench with the box was useless, way too big and imposible to find anything

3pigsinblanketsandasausagerole · 13/10/2014 19:42

Hmm stuva is nice but all white doesn't work for me

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