Walmart's IKEA KALLAX Dupe Looks Too Good To Be True, So We Turned To The Reviews

IKEA is a well-known and much-loved brand for many home products, from furniture and dishware to bedding and decorations. The KALLAX shelf unit ($119.99) is one of IKEA's most popular products. The versatile KALLAX offers ample DIY opportunities and sturdy cubbies that provide significant storage room. Customers who have purchased the KALLAX appreciate the appearance of the cubby organizer, as well as the performance of the piece, giving it a 79% 5-star average. 

Since furniture available from IKEA has a distinctive aesthetic and surprisingly low prices in most cases, it's not uncommon to see other brands mimicking the Swedish retailer's products. One popular nationwide retailer, Walmart, has a number of products that look eerily similar to IKEA's, but sometimes appearances can be deceiving. A quick glance at dupes will yield the Better Homes & Gardens 12 Cube Storage Organizer. This piece does appear to be an exact competitor to the KALLAX, offering storage cube organizers to use around the house (while being a good deal cheaper at $96.44). However, a breakdown of the piece's reviews shows that the Walmart option only has a 69% 5-star average. Is this dupe too good to be true? Let's look at the reviews.

When comparing the Walmart and IKEA models, specifications are nearly identical: The Better Homes & Gardens model states that each cubby can support 30 pounds of weight, whereas the KALLAX says that each cubby is capable of holding 29 pounds. The size of the compartments from one brand to the other are also within a fraction of an inch of one another. With such similar specifications, it leads us to wonder why there's such a disparity between approval ratings. The answer, it seems, lies in the actual performance and sturdiness of Walmart's product.

While some customers state that the cubby unit is nice-looking and performs well, many single-star ratings draw that positivity into question. One customer review states, "Looks nice in the pics, but incredibly fragile mostly due to the lack of a stabilizing brace to keep it square. It's overpriced considering the build quality." Another similar customer experience shares, "I have purchased numerous cube organizers from this brand. They used to be great. This was such low quality. The sides didn't even fully come together after assembling and the metal bracket to screw it together broke after I hand tightened it. Now I have a wobbly piece of junk that I can't return." 

Overall, the Walmart piece has over 130 single-star reviews, compared to only 21 for the KALLAX. Given that IKEA's piece is only about $25 more expensive than the Better Homes & Gardens product, it might be worth simply investing the extra money in the KALLAX and saving yourself the frustration. While you're at it, be sure to check out the best-selling accessories for the IKEA KALLAX for even more organized storage.