I’ve witnessed such an outpouring of emotion once before, and that was when Technics officially shut up shop. But today, the word is that IKEA is discontinuing their iconic EXPEDIT shelving. Wait… people are upset about cheap lumps of flatpack Swedish furniture being canned? Well apparently so, because as all vinyl DJs will tell you, they’re the most excellent vinyl storage, and a core element of many DJ and vinyl collector setups.
This isn’t really new news, as this has been floating around the corners of social media for weeks now. Indeed this whole issue surfaced on this Facebook thread back in January. But it seems that it’s all going off today for some reason. It comes at an odd time considering that just last year IKEA did a whole promotion of their EXPEDIT using DJ Harry Love.
But here’s the thing — some people are talking like we’ll never be able to stack records ever again, and our collections are destined to a future of being kicked around the floor. But it seems that waiting in the wings is a replacement called KALLAX. Very little is known about this range right now, but IKEA Germany confirmed in the above Facebook thread that the internal dimensions are the same but the overall size is a little smaller. It’ll come in 2×2 and 4×2 configurations (although the illustration does show a 4×4), and in birch effect, black, brown, and white. They also confirmed that the KALLAX shelves have the same 13Kg load as the EXPEDIT.
This being the case, I’m struggling to understand why people are getting all het up about this. One thing is getting replaced with another, and it’s probably better too. So does it really matter? I suppose for those who are adding to existing EXPEDITs, then yes. But given the price of a 5×5 is only £140, it strikes me that if you’ve got the cash to fill such things, then you can probably afford to replace existing shelves if they positively have to match.
EXPEDIT Alternatives
There are of course alternatives. In the UK we have a DIY chain called B&Q, and I’ve been using their Cube range for years. The ones I have are solid wood, and give me a great deal more security than some of the collapsed stacks that I’ve seen pictures of online. It’s also worth pointing out that the load bearing of the shelves with the 2×4 EXPEDITs is all wrong when turned on their sides to provide a base for DJ setups anyway.
So while many of you may be sad at the passing of Expedit, I’ve found a handful of alternative options, both full shelves or modular:
B&Q Mixxit Cubes: Mentioned previously, but come in a variety of modular options up to 3×3 units in White and Beech.
iCubes: An incredibly modular and flexible system that is available in a very wide range of colours and finishes. I have my eye on these for the Worxlab because I simply cannot find the bookcase I want.
Sefour: The VC030 is a smart carry box and stacking shelf. And the RS300 offers a more stylish approach if blocks aren’t your thing.
Glorious: Part of Reloop’s family, Glorious offers a good range of vinyl stacking options.
There are of course more in all shapes, sizes, colours, and materials. But I post these to illustrate that the record storage world is somewhat wider than IKEA’s vision.
*Confusion reigns
While I’ve trawled the net for as much info as I can, it’s unclear if this is just Germany, or possibly Germany first with a global rollout to follow. I checked my local IKEA in Leeds and found the warehouse to be positively overflowing right now. And multiple clicks on the US IKEA site found that EXPEDIT was “most likely in stock”, which was a stark and unhelpful contrast from telling me exactly how many were in my local IKEA.
But whatever the status of EXPEDITs, the moral of this story is that it’s just a cheap shelf made of pressed waste wood products, and alternatives are available, and indeed near identical ones from IKEA themselves. You all just need to calm down, take a deep breath, and realise that your precious record collect can sit on all manner of shelves. There is no law that says it has to be IKEA ones.
And relax…
They don’t always bring out very solid replacements for their discontinued products (the Jerker replacement – Fredrik – is a good example). Until the Kallax is actually out, we don’t know the quality level. With Expedit, people know what to expect and it’s probably why they are protesting.
exactly. Expedit is a known quantity, we know what sort of load it bears, we know it can take the use if assembled properly… we dont know how good its replacement will be.
Oh, and by the way – my friend actually got this confirmed by Ikea Sweden (on their facebook page) as well.
the 4 by 2 expedit sideways is ideal to put a set-up on and store a not too large collection underneath..im sure the Kallax or whatever it’s called will fit that purpose as well.
please do not panic
http://youtu.be/Xx_JQe6THkM
There’s a flaw in your title pic Marc.
The expedit never existed as a 4×4 grid but as a 5×5, whilst the Kallax will be 4×4. :(
Here in Sweden we have the 4×4:
http://www.ikea.com/se/sv/catalog/products/40047675/
The Expedit title pic come straight off the front of their own assembly PDF downloaded from the IKEA UK website.
In Singapore we have the 4×4 too
i have 4×4 unit loaded with records right now.
I can only assume that there are regional differences then.
Oh…my bad….sorry!
In Germany we only have/had the 2×2, 4×2 and the 5×5…which is the reason why some of the Djs / Vinylcollectors here in Germany (there is even a Facebook group) are so disappointed about the expedit being discontinued because the 4×4 size just doesn’t seem as “right” as the 4×4!
Hi, I also live in Germany and ordered two more EXPEDITS from Ikea’s website yesterday after learning they will be discontinued, and I ordered both in 4×4.
They set the delivery for june… I just hope they will honour the orders placed on the website and deliver me EXPEDITS instead of the new model. Do you know what the situation regarding EXPEDITS is in Germany right now?
that B&Q cube range looks loads stronger if its made of solid wood
Do you have any information on how you built your setup using the Mixxit cubes shown in your pic? Just wondering what counter top and base you used as I’m going to build myself one. Was planning using expedits but they look far stronger. Thanks!
Expedit is going out of stock, and Kallax is still nowhere to be seen. IKEA doesn’t commit to when its actually going to be available. For those of us looking to start a new system now, it’s a problem.
It’s also a problem for those who look to expand their existing Expedit system. They’re pretty much screwed, as Kallax won’t have the same external dimensions, and thus, I assume, won’t stack with legacy Expedits.
SF Bay Area Ikea has both Expedit and Kallax in stock, but no overlap. We picked up a 4×4 E and a 2×4 K yesterday. Color selection isnt great, especially for the larger units.
The new one just came out. I wanna read the reviews on it first.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20275885/#/80278838
Never fear Kallax is here. I’d been meaning to get my loft sorted for ages. We had it strengthened when we moved in 8yrs ago, but all our junk, and my beloved records moved from our storage unit into the loft and then along came two wonderful children, so the loft sort of got forgotten. Then I was asked to come out of DJ Retirement and DJ at Clockwork Orange’s 20th Birthday party, as I used to DJ for the many moons ago. I went into the loft to find some vinyl to play and was not happy with the space, so I set about getting it sorted. We have some of the Expedit downstairs, but to be honest I think I prefer the Kallax ones. I have the ones you can see on legs from Ikea. That way I can put the amp and other bits underneath the shelving. Got a lot of friends who now want to come round and chill and listen to my music :-)
Have your albums warped from being in an attic?
How deep is the worktop in the Mixxit unit you have built? It looks much deeper than the cube units; Have you had to put two Mixxit units back to back?
Thanks
I went to Ikea today to be face with a poor replacement. Kallax only comes in 4 + blocks so all the flexibility of the single or twin cubes have gone. :(
The only people who would have been “struggling to understand why people are getting all het [sic] up about this” and/or wondering why “does it really matter” are people with a poor sense of aesthetics (AKA, ‘bad taste’).
My CD collection was growing and I was constantly losing discs to dust and damp. I was also literally losing my CDs so I got a CD storage box by Neo. Now all my CDs are labelled and safe.
Can anyone tell me if there was a price difference in this product change? What was the retail price of the expedit?