Ikea kitchens - what competes on price/quality

[bathtime]

We're looking at an ikea kitchen as they are so cheap, but quite good quality. Has anyone had anything priced up elsewhere that comes out at a similar price?

Do howdens, benchmarx, magnet etc work out as cheap?

We probably won't do the whole package with one firm - we'd almost certainly end up getting worktop/sink/appliances sourced cheaply on the web. So really we're looking at who does the best cabinets cheaply.

Ideally we'd something like wickes heritage grey/bone or the new cheaper Eden version as they are timber / painted finish.

aah, maybe this means Ikea are untouchable!!

i've just had a huge quote from Wickes for a new kitchen for the heritage grey kitchen. Even with the 50% off offer that ended yesterday it was more than i was expecting. Have got a recent quote from Howdens too and it seems a lot more reasonable than Wickes.

I did have an Ikea kitchen at my old house and it was good - although the units don't have space at the back for wiring etc that some other styles of kitchen unit do.

Thanks all!

I never knew magnet were supposed to be better quality! How much do doors end up costing? Say shaker timber ready to paint?

And on cost, how much more would howdens better quality be than say ikea oak?

It really seems you don't necessarily get what you pay for in the world of kitchens and I hate the thought of not getting a good deal when we're on a tight budget! What's infuriating is that you can't usually see prices online and I hate the thought of getting someone out to be told £20K.

I've also been looking at websites for National Kitchens, K Kitchens, Second Nature etc but can't realy judge price or quality... which is why I end up back at Ikea as I know exactly what it'll cost.

Oh, and what's the best online site for planning a kitchen?

Magichomes
Another question I'm afraid... If you buy magnet carcasses with handmade doors, can you still get that softclose mechanism?

We did Ikea kitchen + granite top + nice hand made tiles in kitchen at previous house and it turned out great and decent price although can't recall how much.