Good kitchen brands/manufacturers

[NullCipher]

Anyone got recommendations on food kitchen brands these days? I'm not looking for the sheds like B&Q, IKEA, Howdens etc.

We had a Crown Imperial fitted 11y ago and it's fantastic. We fitted it ourselves and the quality was brilliant. It still looks brand new today.

Recent reviews on TrustPilot though for them don't seem to be very inspiring.

 

[Koolpc]

DIYKitchens have got a really good name..

 

[GhostIntMachine]

Not so much a brand recommendation, just a comment or two about how to spot a better quality carcass. The better quality units often use 2 or 3mm PVC or ABS plastic edge banding, and apply a 1mm melamine edging to the rear (cut) edges of the carcass components. Both those will potentially give you a longer lived kitchen. Better cabinets also come with thicker (15 or 18mm) removeable backs on the base units allowing easier access to services behind the cabinets

A standard size carcass (i.e. base cabs 720 high, normal upper cabs 570 and 720mm) makes it possible to replace doors as a mid-life refresher - some suppliers like IKEA use non-standard size carcasses and doors which restrict you to buying only from them either when new or at a later date.

Maybe not relevant, but one thing I got from fitting kitchens in rental properties is that painted MDF or lacquered hardwood doors make for a longer life because you can always sand and repaint/relacquer them - vinyl or foil wraps don't let you do that and aren't as durable in the long run

 

[foxhole]

Got mine from diy kitchens, very good customer service. £2.5k for small kitchen.

 

[cdbe]

If you don't want the shed stuff (and you'll go round in circles trying to find which is best) - everyone has their hates/favourites, you'll need to go German.

Places we went (for ideas - we knew we couldn't afford it the moment we entered the shops) while not mentioning the dirty money word, told us that the one we liked started at £40k for a small one with the one we were stood in being £120k ish.

We amazed ourselves when we got outside because we both agreed that, compared to £30k's worth of Wren stuff, they were pretty good value for money - obviously if you have it.

 

[chirpychippy]

Hacker are very good - I have a Hacker Kitchen in my house.
Schuller are very good
Nolte are very good
Nobilia are quite good.
That's the German Kitchens I fit.

Howdens/Benchmarx/Magnet are more cost effective , I fit these aswell.

Wickes....Hmmmm

Wren aren't a kitchen supplier they are a finance company, it's a 50/50 whether the product lasts or not.

What I would suggest is you find a local independent kitchen supplier, you'll get a better service, the appliances are generally better quality and they'll design a kitchen that fits the space.

You will pay more if you go down the quartz, corian, dekton route, whereas you'll pay less if you go down the laminate route. Don't be afraid to say if its over your budget, most independents will work with you.

The most important person is the kitchen fitter. You need to find one with a proven track record and be able to see his/her/they/them's work in the flesh "a previous customers kitchen".

It strikes me as odd for a salesman to say this kitchen is £40k this kitchen is £120k, I'd want to know why.

 

[GhostIntMachine]

The most important person is the kitchen fitter. You need to find one with a proven track record and be able to see his/her/they/them's work in the flesh "a previous customers kitchen".

That is so true. A good fitter makes or breaks the installation and can make even a chesp kitchen look a lot better. But even they can't do overly much about poor quality cabinets

 

[Notch7]

If you are fitting yourself and don’t mind designing yourself, DIYkitchens is a great option. Much cheaper than Howdens and similar quality

Howdens have gone up massively in price and as for their stupid pricing structure.
It used to be possible to get Howdens branches to compete against each other for a better price, but I think they’ve managed to close that

 

[chirpychippy]

Howdens have gone up massively in price and as for their stupid pricing structure.
It used to be possible to get Howdens branches to compete against each other for a better price, but I think they’ve managed to close that

The last Howdens I did was a kitchen makeover, new doors a few new units new plinths new cornice pelmet etc etc.

My customer paid direct through my account, when I got the invoice/receipt the blum 110 degree overlay soft close hinges were charged at £23 a pair, So....I went to Trade hinges and bought them for £6 a pair and returned all the Howdens ones for a refund.

 

[johnny2007]

I fitted a couple of diy kitchens and I wasn't very impressed with their cabinets.
Their doors are great, but the cabinets are not.
They come ready built: only glued, no camlocks and no screws, so inevitably they need re-inforcing.
And the tall cabinets are too tall, so gaps around the doors end up being 5-6 mm.
The backs are 12mm, but i was called to fix 2 pan cabinets as the glue had failed.
Also, they only provide 40mm service gap behind their cabinets.
Waste pipes are 43/45mm OD, so you'll end up chasing walls.
If I have to be honest, I prefer howdens, although diy kitchens are cheaper and have better choice.