Should we buy the more expensive one?

rosenbal

Thu, Mar 12 2015, 11:27 pm

The thing with IKEA is that they do sell different "levels" of quality. Actually many furniture stores do. Some dining room tables are all particle board with a very thin wood veneer. Then of course there are solid wood tables. I do believe that there is something in the middle - something better quality than particle board that has a thicker, higher quality wood veneer over it.

If the other table is solid wood - for sure go for it! It will get dinged of course but that can be fixed pretty easily.
If you're deciding between two sets that are not solid wood, really try to get a sense of the quality and how big a difference in quality it is. Will the expensive set get you 3 extra years? Not worth it. 10-15 extra years (or more hopefully!), worth it. You might be able to read reviews on specific IKEA furniture sets online - although if it's a newer model, you might not really be able to read about longevity but you might be able to read about people complaining that the veneer is peeling off after 3 months...

rachel6543

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 12:03 am

If you really like the nicer set, I'd say go for it. For furntiture, if you get better quality it will last longer. Last year we finally bought nice wood dining room chairs and a new couch. We got quality that is much better than ikea. We saved up for a while for the purchase, but it was so worth it. So happy with the quality.

Dini

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 12:28 am

I think that with the Ikea you are wasting your money because you will have to replace it before you would have to replace the better set, so you end up spending the same amount of money.

Sanguine

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 2:35 am

Get the better one and the one you like better. I've already written how much I like my table. We have it 25 years (came on aliya with it and paid a lot but there hasn't been any reason to replace).

Pay in tashlumim. I know that's silly but then instead of 4,000 shekel that's just 400 shekel a month for 10 months and then it's silly to not get the better quality and the one you like better. A table lasts years and years and your husband will get uptight about scratches no matter what the table cost.

Buy what opens the biggest you can. My table opens to 3 meters and I wish it was a little bigger or that my chairs were smaller.

etky

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 7:49 am

In a way, quality can be a trap b/c it's more of a committment. Personally I don't want my current dining room set to last me a lifetime. It's dated (anyone even remember teak? 23 years ago all they had here was "teak", "alon"and "egoz") and I'd love something longer and wider. However, there's nothing at all wrong with it, it's a good quality set from a reputable store, it still looks good, and I don't have any extra cash to lay out now just because I crave a change. I can see myself be"h maybe replacing it in another 10 -15 years or so (the chairs maybe sooner) but that's a long time to wait for a change.
So OP, if you spring for the more expensive, higher quality set, make sure it's not something that you love now but that will soon look passe and also, as Sanguine said, plan for the future and get something that extends as much as possible.

Sanguine

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 9:12 am

etky wrote:

In a way, quality can be a trap b/c it's more of a committment.

You're not anymore committed when you buy quality. If I would have saved $1,000 25 years ago I really wouldn't have had it available now for anything anyway so I'm glad my quality table didn't need replacing all these years and still doesn't now. I guess if you want to change the style if the table is still strong you're sorry that your outdated table didn't fall apart but it could have fallen apart at a bad time for you like my fridge and oven Sad

Frumdoc

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 10:39 am

Some ikea furniture is excellent quality. My dh has (well, we have now) a set of drawers he has had for at least 20 years, which his parents bought when he was a kid and moved into his own bedroom, now off white instead of white, but functionally as good as the day it was put together.

More expensive is not always better quality, often they are sourced from the same factories with the same workmanship but different materials and markup.

etky

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 10:57 am

Sanguine wrote:

Good tables are eminently repairable, refinishable etc. And they don't usually fall apart as suddenly and dramatically as ovens and fridges....
I think I'm stuck with my refectory style teak table forever. The only way I'll ever be able to justify a new set is if one of the kids gets married be'h and I give them my 'old set'. Or when we downsize and move into an 'empty nest' home Sad

Looking at the bright side though, teak may yet experience a comeback, what with the recent popularity of mid-century modern style furniture....

kollel wife

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 11:00 am

I would go with the quality. A dining room set gets a lot of action near and on it.
Unlike a bedroom dresser which you may not have in E"Y because all are aronot, no?

The Ikea things I've seen, you build yourself are not of such good quality and eventually the connections, screws, alignment starts to falter. Even without a lot of use.

You can really make a table pad yourself from some white stuff found in art supply store - not oaktag, something much thicker and stronger. Then you cover the table with that, and then with a tablecloth.

The table pads you can buy and heavier and usually lined on the back with felt, so they won't slip. You don't necessarily have to do that that right away.

Chairs with good cushions made well are also important. Once the cushions go bad, it's actually painful to sit on such chairs.

Barbara

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 11:07 am

Frumdoc wrote:

I have a set of Ikea shelves that are older than most posters here. They're still in great shape, and likely to outlive us all.

imaima

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 11:15 am

Barbara wrote:

I have a set of Ikea shelves that are older than most posters here. They're still in great shape, and likely to outlive us all.

That's probably because they were made before. I haven't had such experience with furniture bought recently.

amother

Fri, Mar 13 2015, 12:01 pm

imaima wrote:

That's probably because they were made before. I haven't had such experience with furniture bought recently.

Agree! I have a 20 year old Ikea desk that is still going strong but nothing they have now matches it in quality. (It has a solid wood top!)

Sanguine

Sat, Mar 14 2015, 2:45 pm

amother wrote:

I can't make up my mind. Should we spend so much money on something we really like or should be spend less and get something that is good enough?

I think the better one won the vote - ENJOY!

Ruchel

Sat, Mar 14 2015, 4:07 pm

cheap and sturdy, cheap and sturdy. Be it couch, table… do get nice tablecloths if you do tablecloths, if not just get a plain sturdy fine looking and put on nice cutlery and stuff for shabbes (nice disposables exist!).

Our only expensive ones are family, or gifts, or donations. Second hands rocks.
My MIL gave us her nice cloth, WHITE couch. It didn’t survive long, a shame. Then, my parents insisted on buying us leather seats. I said no no no :p

(omg tablepads! I have never seen that!)

(maybe you can get a small nice table, if the kids always eat at a low, kiddy table, but I personally like everyone there for shabbes)

imaima

Sat, Mar 14 2015, 5:23 pm

I say, if you can afford it, buy the more expensive one. At least you will enjoy it. Having kids comes with a price - you don't live in a museum. They will ruin the cheap furniture much quicker than the sturdy expensive one.