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So, a collectibles gift shop is going out of business in a few more days. Sadly (luckily) they never sold Windstones. They are selling everything in the store, including the fixtures and display cases. The ones I’m looking at appear to retail for minimum $750 – $1000. Their asking price is $300-350 on the ones I was considering (if still available).
However, I have also been looking around on Ikea. I was looking at this one for weight and size http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60128562
This display case would be for my pyos, curlies, hatchlings, fledgies, etc. (think the smaller stuff). I’m building a larger one for my heavier pieces (out of wood with glass doors), but the smaller pieces seem to get a little lost.
So, my question is, how is Ikea’s quality?
The ones they had at the store were similar to this one: http://www.ergoindemand.com/display-case-modern-cabinet.htm
and this one: http://www.displays2go.com/product.asp?ID=2338I was also considering something like this: http://www.displays2go.com/product.mh.asp?ID=11199
I’m not in a hurry need to get a display case right this minute, but will need one in a few months, but if I were to get one from this store, I would have to act by Wednesday.
I’ve found Ikea products to be alright. I’ve got some trays from there that have lasted a long time. The cabinet you linked to on Ikea’s website didn’t look all that strong, though. The other cabinets you showed sure were expensive! Can you find out from the collectible store how much their fixtures can take, weight-wise? I would tend to go with a fixture in a store; those have to be durable and are usually good quality. Having been in a liquidation sale myself I can tell you fixtures sell quickly!
Ikea stuff is attractive and well priced, but you get what you pay for. I like Ikea. It’s awesome for students and those just starting off, the designs are great, but the quality is better described as adequate than good. I second Purpledragonclaw’s concern about the structure of that particular cabinet. (Especially for heavy, delicate Windstones)
My vote would be for the second hand cabinet, even at triple the price. Both of those designs seem very well made, and quality furniture (even used) is an investment you can enjoy for a long time.
I was told by a co-worker that Ikea is OK for College if you are only going ot have the furniture for a few year but personally I would NEVER put my Windstone Collection on shelving unit from them
I have two tall, narrow Ikea displays that I use very, very cautiously. They’re wood-framed and wood-backed with glass shelves. I bought them because they were one of the few Ikea models that stated flat out the weight limitations of the shelves: eleven pounds each. Believe me, I’ve weighed everything that I wanted to put on each shelf and have kept the total weight for each under 11 pounds. I also am using these only for the smaller Windstones, so that I can space the pieces out on the shelf and avoid having too much weight in any one spot on the glass.
That said, if we have even a mild shaker, there is going to be total carnage in those cases. I’m not completely happy with them for this reason.
Bottom line would be, if you have access to a high-quality store display (I’m drooling over the hexagonal one with 1/4 inch glass shelves–I have one like that and ADORE it), then go for it. It’s a pain in the tush to bring it home, and finding a spot for it may be hard, but you’ll be very glad you have it in the next few years. Those good store displays are totally worth grabbing when they come available. 🙂 They’re almost sealed against dust, they look fantastic, and they’re built to last.
Both my display cases, one holding OWs and the other containing my Spectrals, are IKEA ware. They hold up to a certain point, but you need to make sure not to overtax them. Personally I prefer more solid stuff, but the IKEA pieces were pre-owned and basically gifts and they’ve done good service so far.
I don’t have any Ikea cases…at least not yet…I would go for the biggest case that is the cheapest…but thats only because I seem to run of of room really quickly when it comes to Windstones… 😀
I did buy a case at Zellers tho (whcih is probably the same quality as Ikea) and it just doesn’t hold up as well as the one I bought at Leons…the glass shelves are much thinner which I don’t really like becasue they don’t support alot of weight. But I guess it would depend on which pieces you would like to display in them.
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I’ve seen the Klingsbo on display at Ikea, and was thinking about purchasing it, so I gave it a few good shakes to check for stability and inspected it closely. It seemed decent and somewhat stable, and better than my Detolf (but that’s not saying much!). But I concur with Maplecarver, you get what you pay for; the Klingsbo was decent for a ~$120 glass cabinet but didn’t stand up to other cabinets I’ve seen at higher price points. I don’t go around shaking store displays, but I’m guessing they are far superior in quality and it looks like you are getting a good deal. 🙂
im biased against Ikea. I worked for them a short time in a distribution center after CAT when i was sick. They dont let their employees off for ANY American holidays because they run by a strict standard of only being off for Norwegian or Swiss (im not sure any more where they are from) holidays. They worked you to the bone and as far as the quality , if something fell 3 feet off the lift it usually broke .
PD likes their stuff but most of it is particle board with thin lamination or pine , neither is good to hold a load . The dragons will warp it in a matter of months ; its really no better than anything you would get at a Wal-Mart . If the other stuff your looking at is good hard wood i would scoop it up for 300 bucks . You dont see hardwood on the market anymore unless you go to a really high end place and are willing to spends thousands .
I basically have only Ikea shelving and I’ve never, ever had any problems or doubts about its solidity.
Of course, I wouldn’t put all 3 emperors in the glass one, but it is sturdy (and I did weigh my guys).
I got the Billy shelving too, and once again, no risk of caving in. These pics were taken a while back; shelves are more crowded now.
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http://www.sarahjestin.com/feedbacklists.htmThanks everyone for the feedback. 🙂 I have two friends who live by Ikea, but they don’t have breakables and collectibles sitting on them. My heavier pieces will go on an oak piece my dad and I will be building to my specifications (it’s an odd size and my shelving requirements don’t fit what I can find in a store, save one cabinet I found for over $800). My smaller pieces, like my curlies, get lost on flat wooden shelves with the larger pieces, hence the need for a more ‘airy’ cabinet. My Windstone collection is a bit large (I have around 105 pieces *I think*, not counting pyos.) They curlies and pyos will share this cabinet with my small swarovski crystal and fenton collections (mostly a few animals) in this glass cabinet as well.
I’ll try for one of the cabinets tomorrow for my smaller pieces if they still have something left. I would have gone down over the weekend, but I need to wait for payday. I know the hexagonal ones ($350) they have held glass perfume bottles/decanters and fenton. Of the smaller towers ($300), I know one holds Harmony Kingdom pieces, or what is left of that collection. They had a lot of cases still unclaimed 2 days before Christmas, so we shall see what I can find that I can afford! If nothing remains, then I’ll probably wait and get a curio cabinet like the Pulaski ones (though not necessarily that brand).
I’ll post with whatever I find! Wish me luck! 😉
Good luck! I’ve heard what everyone else has: Ikea is good for students because of the price, but go for something more high-end if you want it to last.
I have Ikea shelving for a few things… one of them is our TV and I refuse to touch it. Let’s just say if the building shakes too much, that TV is toast. That being said, it’s also almost 10 years old.
The one I have my windstones on now is Ikea too, and it seems to be holding up well. However, it is a bookcase. Ikea does have some stuff that’s more sturdy – like their Billy stuff, although it is particle board, it is thick particle board, and should hold up to most windstones.
I wouldn’t trust their glass stuff a mile away though.
Well, looks like I didn’t luck out. The store closed at Christmas. They thought they were going to be open until New Years, but they sold out their stock to the point that it wasn’t worth staying open. Poop.
Mom seemed to like either the metal cabinet that I was going to get (just going to cost an arm and a leg to get) or one of the wood and glass display cases (again, arm + leg, though a bit less so). She said “Don’t worry. You’ll find something.” So, in the meantime, the smaller pieces will just go on my bigger shelf system that my dad and I will be building (it won’t be full with just the bigger pieces, so there will be room… it just means I won’t see the smaller pieces so well for a time). At least I am a bit more informed of my choices at least. 🙂 I’ll just have to keep my eye out for if another place unexpectedly goes belly up and save my pennies for when I do go to get one.
This store and the restaurant next to it (same name), was bought out because the owners were getting divorced and the new owners didn’t want to have a gift shop, so that building is for sale. Sad, because they did a wonderful business. Swarovski, fenton, Marie Alexander, Precious Moments, Snow Babies, Lenox, Disney collection, some snow victorian village collection, Jim Shore’s stuff… At least my favorite shop is still going strong (this was my #2 shop, and a little further away).
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