Magnet or Howdens??

[sleepdodger]

My head hurts from trying to cross price them
It's pre carcassed either way
One is engineered other is PVC wrapped
It's the handless white with oak top look
Work tops coming from elsewhere
Appliances from elsewhere
Builder (we're having loads of work done) doesn't have a preference
Anyone got any strong opinions in either
In £1k over on budget on one and £1500 on the other so nt a clear price winner!!!
Thanks

I've always used Howdens as the back of the carcasses was thicker and better fitted. I was probably influenced by my first kitchen where all the backs came off and slipped down.

We had a kitchen from Magnet several years ago and it was pretty dire. In retrospect, badly designed (which I should have foreseen) and they left a couple of bits unfinished which was irritating.

I wouldn't use them again or recommend them, but then we used their fitters rather than an independent builder.

I'm not being helpful, am I?!

We had a magnet kitchen fitted nearly two years ago, it's been pretty crap tbh.
We've had lots of issues with the quality of the units, doors and worktops. When we initially complained, the branch wrote to us basically saying that the problems must be our fault and it took getting head office involved to get them to take responsibility for fixing it. We've had half the doors and the entire worktops replaced and it took them three visits to actually get all the correct replacements ordered.

5 years on and I am very happy with my howdens kitchen. My builder thought I was mad to even consider magnet - higher cost for a poorer or, at best, similar product.

Our Howdens kitchen is pretty indestructible.

Our current kitchen is from Magnet and the quality is ok but no better than my last kitchen which was a lot cheaper from Homebase. My friend has recently had a Howdens kitchen fitted and is happy with it.

We're about to order our kitchen so I've looked at most of the high street kitchen places and the quality seems fairly similar, just at very different prices.

Not sure which kitchen it is you like but DIY Kitchens do a few handleless ones and are probably a lot cheaper DIYKitchens

I had a magnet kitchen, considering the cost it was just ok really. The doors were oak bit if I'm honest looked a bit cheap. I'm going Howdens on the next one.

My brother is a kitchen fitter and he says use Howdens.

Magnet made me cry............ and wait months to get two doors/ drawers fixed. It took ten minutes.
My kitchen still looks good twelve years later though, in fairness.
It was about eleven thousand pounds back then.
I would never, ever use them again.

We had a Magnet kitchen fitted last year. We're pleased with it, and I think it was a fair price (8k for a large kitchen, including all appliances, from their mid-price range).

The thing that swung us to Magnet from other kitchen suppliers was their designer, who was superb. He came out twice to the house, really listened to what we wanted and suggested lots of small but important changes, such as rehanging the kitchen door which I'd never have thought of, but which makes the kitchen look much bigger.

We did haggle a lot over price, I rejected 4 or 5 quotes before we agreed a figure.

Thanks all
It's odd but I'm swaying to magnet- the designer was great and is leaving soon so seemed to give us lots of discount from the off- id been to another magnet place who were bloody rude at best
Howdens have been fine but builder is at the quote , he thinks it should be less but they're not budging
Magnet is engineered so on paper better quality
Howdens have been out twice but still took 2 weeks for plan which is still wrong
Tomorrow we get the cheaper quality quote from magnet- the like for like with Howdens, I'm expecting about £2k less in which case decision made, but in interim it's a paper excise...

A friend of mine had a quote from Betta Living and got an initial cost price of ~£26,000 list price!!! But could have the kitchen for around £10,000!!! The kitchen was a 'basic' U shaped kitchen, no frills.

So, I went with him around a few stores and got some online prices and got some like for like quotes for an oak kitchen. Before buying, it really does pay to shop around! The kitchen spec was a 14 unit kitchen, plinths, cornice, handles and laminate worktop.

Here are the quotes that we got. Companies will say that their kitchen is better than the others because of X, and that is why theirs costs a little more but the differences really are minor. But, that is for you to look at and decide.

Price for a Solid Oak Kitchen (S=Sale price).

Betta Living: ~£10,000 (S)
B&Q: ~£3,600 (S)
DIY Kitchens: ~£3,200
Homebase: ~£4,500 (S)
Howdens: ~£5,000 (S)
Magnet: ~£4,900 (S)
Wickes: ~£4,500 (S)
Wren Living: ~£4,600 (S)
Units Online: ~£3,360

I hope this helps!