Very beautiful, received faulty productAlexandriaPackaging was nice for this product, but upon opening I received a unit with scratches, chips, slight indentations, and uneven staining throughout the whole unit. Some of the screws also don't fit in all the way, even though I was able to get the unit level, one of the sides is not in all the way and the pegs are visible- shame, because I thought this was beautiful in the store. To return this, I will have to commit another 3 to 4 hours of my day in moving the piece over to the store, waiting in line, and... do I wanna try another one??. I have already spent an hour waiting for phone support and, when they took my call, while the customer service rep was nice, she said there wasn't anything she could do with my receipt info and that I would have to go to the store.
I have bought from ikea before, and this is the first product I received with damage, or that I wasn't able to wiggle together. I'm torn between returning or just leaving the chip (pun intended?) on my shoulder.2
Tolerances not Precise, Looks Good ThoughDerekI am pretty good at putting stuff like this together but still had a bit of trouble due to tolerances being pretty bad on this unit I got. I think IKEA seems to have problems stocking this unit since the boards are made of a solid wood.
I accidentally broke two of their lock screws because the post screws that the lock screws twist to secure did not line up correctly when the post screws were fully inserted. To get the fit right I had to back out the posts several turns to raise them up so they could be grabbed by the locking screws.
I also noticed that the finish on the shelves was a bit rough. There are a lot of holes filled in where cheap wood was used.
Once assembled I was able to order additional parts to replace the ones broken for free. Fully assembled the bookcase does look nice and works well.4
I Own 4 Hemnes Bookshelves, Buying a 5th...RoderickThese are awesome bookshelves. Made of solid wood and easy to put together. I don't know why others seem to have difficulty putting them together? I will concede, the back panel takes a little finessing to get just right, what an extra 5 minutes of your time? Lasting and durable. You will love them...5
Really badPennyThis is the worst IKEA design I've ever come across. I love almost every from IKEA, but this is bad. 1
DisappointedJanetAfter happily purchasing/assembling many IKEA furniture items, this one proved to be a challenge, mainly due to the inferior quality of the cam locks. They are not what they used to be and bend easily. We were finally able to get the bookcase assembled but have decided that we won't be purchasing any more IKEA furniture to be assembled. If just one of the cam locks fails the product cannot be assembled. There are no extras. 2
Design needs a revampJaniceWhile the bookcase works fine, putting on the back is a nightmare (the clips are a joke) and one of the top rails is not clearly identified in the assembly instructions. Very frustrating that all my backs are bowed and won’t fit in the slot.3
Frustrating to assembleJessieSeriously, this was the worst experience I've ever had putting together a piece of Ikea furniture. I usually like the assembly process, but this was awful. The instructions were unclear, causing my spouse and me to put one of the nearly identical pieces in the wrong place. Plus the pilot holes were too small and the shelves feel unstable. Placing the backing was a nightmare. The whole process just felt so needlessly difficult, and the end result is not worth the trouble. 1
The Poorest Quality EverFredMade almost entirely from Cardboard! Way too light and weak structure. Back panel is even weaker. Shelves do not stay in place. Stability is an issue over time. A Dangerous product. If your answer is : Return it in 180 days, I would say: Come and dismantle it yourselves. You think people have time on their hand to cover the poor quality of your product? This product is the first IKEA that has disappointed me greatly and will make me think twice before buying anything from them again.1
Very Disappointed in QualityLisaI have 6 of these bookcases that I bought about 2 years ago. I just bought 3 more and the quality of the bookcases has declined so much that they will not hold the screws. This does not allow the shelves to stay in place and the bookcase doesn't stay square. So disappointing!!!! I plan to return.
1
5 years later... still LOVE it!KayleighI absolutely love this bookshelf. I get so many compliments and it brings the room together really well. I've had this bookshelf since 2020 and still in love. I'm thinking of getting a 2nd one since it's about maxed out on books. 5
DO NOT BUY-- UNSAFEJenniferI had to take two trips to Ikea to buy this 300 bookcase because the instructions and several screws were missing. My husband spent a few hours putting it up last night and I started loading my books on it this morning. I went to grab a couple books off my bedroom floor to load on there and heard a loud crash. The whole bookcase had collapsed except for the sides. I had only put BOOKS ON TWO SHELVES!!!! THIS PRODUCT IS DANGEROUS AND EXTREMEMLY POOR QUALITY. I wish I could give negative stars. 1
Looks good !LarryVery good quality and looks great 5
Pressboard Frame is too Weak for this Piece. ThomasThe posts are made from pressboard, which is to flimsy to put the screws into. The result is that the slightest twist throws the alignment out, making the bookcase look like garbage.
I'm done with ikea after decades of purchases. 1
Two years in... Shelves don't stay in. AnnaWe've had this bookcase for about two years and the shelves consistently fall out. The fixed shelf itself is splitting. We've had a good number of books on the shelf but not an insane number... it's a bookshelf. Lol. For the upgraded IKEA shelf from the cheaper options I expected better. 2
Quality issues HeatherThis is my second hemnes bookshelf, previous was purchased 3 years ago and I have been pretty happy with it, so I bought this one to match.
This time around I had so many issues putting it together. Not complexity, but the quality. For example: the pre drilled holes were not aligned and some dowel holes were not drilled deep enough, and the locking nut wouldn't catch. I finally got it together and point where I could put the shelves on and they immediately collapse. Either the shelves are a fraction too short or the pins are too short for it to sit on both sides.
Definitely feels dangerous. 1
Safety Incident!!!!! DO NOT BUY!!! JamesThe sides of the bookshelf that hold the pins for the shelves started to bow out.
The shelf eventually collapsed and it's contents landed about a foot from my 3 year old daughter. I reported the incident to IKEA customer service over the phone and they did nothing about it becuase no one was hurt, it was not considered a safety issue. Then I went to return the bookshelf to the store and spoke to the store manager in charge of safety issues, she also dismissed it saying it was not a safety issue and they found no issues with the shelves, and there were no like incidents reported. So I asked, if my daughter was hurt, would this be considered a safety incident, and the response was, yes, if someone was hurt, we would look more "closely" into it. So according to IKEA, near miss incidents are non safety issues. But to all parents out there, PLEASE!!! DO NOT PURCHASE this Hemnes shelf.1
Henmes: Worst BookshelfEvonneI don't normally give reviews, but I have spent the last few hours adding more books to this bookcase and fighting with the shelves that keep falling off. And no, the books are not heavy at all. I bought it about 6 months ago and originally thought it was attractive, but after rearranging books and adding a few more, the shelves are continuously falling off, because the pegs are falling out. I actually got so frustrated I stopped what I was doing after the shelf fell off for the umpteenth time I ran to my computer to submit this review. Additionally, the wood-look backing is coming off the back. I have never had a bookcase that was of such poor quality. Not worth the price. Am going to have to glue the pegs into their slots to keep it stable. IKEA, you can do better!1
Broke on meRobertoHad to throw it out after the shelves refused to stay in place.1
Do Not Buy - Ikea Quality In DeclineKaytlynWe have 3 older of the same Hemnes bookcase, all purchased years ago and going strong. This recent 4th purchase shows that Ikea quality is in severe decline. The first attempt had the cam-lock holes misplaced such that they would not secure. We called and got a replacement, obviously from the same manufacturing run. but I managed to get it assembled, and it was fine for a few months... Until the side panels bowed out, and randomly dropped 2 shelves and everything on them. Giving them one more chance, we're now on to the second replacement. It's from a different batch, and went together 'better'... Except not only were the side panels bowed out from the start, but also the pre-assembled side panels weren't even fully glued together. I had to finish the factory's job for them, in addition to straightening and reinforcing the side panels. The middle shelf bevel is very rough too. Three strikes, you're out. Despite all the Ikea furniture we have purchased, we won't be again any time soon.1
Beautiful but poorly designed shelfDanielThe Hemnes is the nicest looking and most expensive bookshelf I’ve ever owned. However, it’s also the worst: the bookshelf failed within a year of owning it. Not sure if humidity or what, but the shelves all came crashing down one day without warning. I’m glad no kids or animals were nearby. IKEA sent me replacement pegs, but it just happened again. The back panel also tends to pop out as the set shelf in the middle is not enough support to hold the shelf together. Cheap particle board shelves from Walmart have stood up for literally years longer than this shelf.
Don’t waste your money. The shelf will not stand up over time. Piece of junk. 2