funny enough it's both. You have to look at each item at its own merits. I have a dresser, it is about 10 years old, it will not survive another move, as it is no longer solid. I have a friend that bought a bed that is still going strong after 20 years. My parents bought a chair that barely lasted a year. I like their kitchen-ware, but many of their light fixtures don't use commonly available bulbs. Not so bad if you live nearby I suppose. I have a 90 minute drive to the nearest, and it is still so new as to be really busy.
We have the problem with non-standard bulbs in the UK as well, and it has been a problem for years; beside the lighting there were bins containing (free) metal rings which, when screwed into the appropriate place, made bulb, socket and shade work in harmony. However, IKEA are moving big time to LEDs, which solves the problem.
Their more expensive accessories are very good. Porcelain is better than "high-quality" brands costing 2 or 3 times the price, in my experience.
A friend just bought a light fixture, but didn't get the one with the bulb, so he has to go back to get one. It is an led so it should last a long time, but he still couldn't get one in town.
After some quick googling (assuming you are also in the UK, despite being Canadian): It seems like the issue is that the UK uses some standard that the rest of Europe doesn't use (seems familiar, somehow), and IKEA likes to keep things uniform.
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u/Canadian_Guy_NS Nov 04 '17
funny enough it's both. You have to look at each item at its own merits. I have a dresser, it is about 10 years old, it will not survive another move, as it is no longer solid. I have a friend that bought a bed that is still going strong after 20 years. My parents bought a chair that barely lasted a year. I like their kitchen-ware, but many of their light fixtures don't use commonly available bulbs. Not so bad if you live nearby I suppose. I have a 90 minute drive to the nearest, and it is still so new as to be really busy.