Horrible qualityAnonymous reviewerI've put together hundreds of pieces of IKEA furniture in my life and, as other have said, this piece wreaks of poor quality. The cam slots are undersized so I broke two cams trying to engage them (and I discovered that a third hadn't engaged even though it appeared as though it had). The center shelf is held in with a plastic friction fit. The entire frame feels like it would break if you actually loaded this with books. Even though it looks nice, I would never recommend this shelf to store books. I think it might be able to handle origami sculptures but I'm not sure. 1
Bad QualityCharisThe structure is very weak. The shelves do not fit well against the sides and tend to fall every few days. 1
Hemnes ShelfMarinaI got them to put on both sides of the Hemnes Daybed, they are easy to put together and look awesome!5
Classically lovely shelfLilianWe have a wide Hemnes and a narrow Hemnes shelf, and are about to purchase another narrow. They are great shelves - good quality, sturdy, look great after a few years of use. Take the directions to use a mild cleaner though; I used wood dusting spray and it messed up the finish a bit on the wood. Nothing major, but dust dry and don't do much else. 5
still great a year laterAnonymousI bought three of the narrow hemnes shelves a year ago and wanted to wait a year to see how ell they held up. Fortunately, they're still in the same condition as the day I put them together. I love hardcovers and was concerned about the shelves bowing, but the narrow shelves have proved sturdy enough to handle the weight.5
works for what I needPatriciaI was dismayed to learn that you can't get extra shelves like Billy bookshelves. I need extra shelves.The drawers are not as sturdy as they should be. However, the Hemnes shelving looks great.3
Dangerously faulty, but fixableAnonymous reviewerI love the look and heartiness of the Hemnes pine more than the Billy line, but the Hemnes shelves continue to collapse. The new unit I bought has the same issue as the two that I bought 4 years ago. After just a month of light use, the back has popped out and the side panels are bowing just enough for the shelves to loosen and collapse. The “fix” is to screw on a bracket or two of wood across the back of each unit, but it takes extra time and materials to do. IKEA really needs to just include brackets and screws for the back; they have to know by now that they’re necessary. 2
bookcase purchaseJaniceGood product5
Shelves fall and bookcase expandsJenniferThe price of this bookshelf is not nearly worth what you get. I have a Billy bookcase and this one. The Billy bookcase has lasted over 3 years and is solid. This one hasn't even lasted a year. The quality is below subpar. Ikea should remove or correct immediately. I have books on the bottom 2/3 and the center expands causing all the shelves to fall down, because the metal pins are also too small. Overall it is terrible. Maybe for lightweight items but definitely not books.1
PantryPatI purchased this for my kitchen to use as pantry storage. Absolutely love. 5
Good ChoiceLeeI wanted a Billy bookcase to match the one I already had. The store was out-of-stock and I chose this instead (short on time). I misassembled it slightly and will have make an adjustment, but overall it went smoothly. The finish is of slightly less quality than the price would suggest. It certainly has a bit of style. I will be adding a similar Hemnes TV cabinet soon.4
Shelves fall oftenAndrewI’ve tried and tried for over a year with this bookcase. The sides constantly expand and the shelves fall in. All that’s holding those shelves is some tiny metal pins, which aren’t long enough to handle any slight bit of shift in the flimsy sides of these shelves. We love the look of these shelves, but I’m so tired of pulling everything off every few weeks to tighten up the back and sides so the pins actually hold the shelves. 1
RPG BookshelfRobertThis shelf improved the game storage in my dining room. I configured the middle 4 shelves to fit standard size Call of Cthulhu and Dungeons & Dragons hardcover books. The bottom shelf is lower but is big enough to store cat toys. The top shelf is high enough to store smaller paperbacks and A5 notebooks. Overall a very efficient Game shelf. 5
UnsutisfiedLettyLow quality for what I paid for this unit. Shelves do not fit well leaving spaces on the sides. 2
Sturdy, great-looking shelves!JenniferI am thrilled with my new Hemnes shelves! They have elevated my office both in looks and function. Finally, I have the stacks of books off my floor and they are neatly arranged on the beautiful bookshelves. I was impressed with the sturdiness and quality of the shelves, and they were not difficult to assemble. I appreciate being able to adjust the shelf height as needed. I highly recommend these shelves!5
Nice bookshelf..JackEasy to assemble, lighter than I thought it would be. Looks solid, the side panels are thinner than you might expect but it doesn't impact the usability. Would be improved if it included an anti-tip strap and either a marker to color in the middle of the backing board where the fold is, or just color the fold seam
4
Poor qualityStephenI had to go thru the return process of breaking down the shelving, and returning to my local Ikea to exchange for a new item because the wood started to splinter during assembly. I am very dissatisfied with the quality of the construction and will not be making another Ikea purchases unless there is some sort of compensation.3
Hemnes bookcaseMargaretvery easy to assemble, good quality.5
Narrow BookcaseWayneI like Hemnes products as a rule and this one is nice also. However, when they made their short support bars, they did NOT make them interchangeable. So it is possible to get them switched around and there is NO mention of the difference in the instructions.4
These are not the firstJudyThese are not the first Hemnes pieces I've bought. They are solid wood and look good. Price can't be beat. And as long as you take it slow, not too difficult to build.
Just though on the knees. 😀5