The only thing this shelf holds is regret.ArielIf frustration could be flat-packed, this IKEA masterpiece would be it. I’m convinced the screws are made of softened butter—one wrong twist and poof, they’re stripped smoother than a marble countertop. The instructions? A minimalist’s dream and a realist’s nightmare.
After three hours of muttered curses, existential dread, and a screwdriver that may never recover, I managed to assemble something that vaguely resembles a shoe shelf. It wobbles like a newborn giraffe and groans ominously every time I dare to put a pair of shoes on it.
Sure, it “pulls out” — but so does my sanity when I have to fix it for the fifth time. If IKEA wanted to test the limits of human patience, congratulations, they’ve succeeded.1
Wow!DianeI love it! I sure could have used these when I was working.5
Not recommended PiseyPoorly made, very flimsy1
TerribleRobertAll the bad reviews are so accurate.
Just terrible
Screws metal is very soft and will not fit.
Easy to over twist the screw and then you just can't take it out
Purchased 10 of them for the pax system and taking it all back1
Terrible build qualityDanielI love IKEA! Every time I get something from them, I’m constantly impressed at how well thought out and well designed it all is. That’s why I was so surprised when I started putting this together. Not only is the build quality bad, but the design is not great either. The included screws strip out far too easily and have to go into hard to reach spots. Don’t stop buying IKEA, because they are great. Just skip this one.2
do not buy unless you want to be frustrated with poor workmanshipKatrinaI never write reviews but I'm so upset with how horrible the quality is. I thought it was just me having issues but after reading the reviews, it seems like ikea is just willingly selling a poor product.
The holes don't align, you can never get really flush, the screws strip very easily. Also, it's incredibly difficult to get the top level screwed in unless you have help.
I thought this would be an easy 20 minute project, given that I've built many Ikea pieces but this one is just absolutely horrible. Do not buy this unless you hate yourself.1
Do not assemble this on your ownAshishI didn’t read other reviews before buying 7 of these. The screw holes are not proper. It was a nightmare assembling these. It took me great efforts to install these. The screws provided are very bad quality. They scratch off easily and before installing you have to use too much force to fix each screw holes1
IKEA is aware of a design flaw and won’t fix itJoyaI went back through the reviews after I bought the pullout shoe shelf and saw that for the past year, there is a known issue with the screws and alignment. It’s really disappointing that IKEA continues to sell this product without fixing it. I was trying to get the screws into place when my hand slipped and cut open my hand. And no, please don’t tell me that I can return it within 180 days. Instead, give me the cost of gas, time wasted, and say that IKEA is aware of the product and will fix it. You have my email address, please send me a credit. Does it take someone getting hurt to do something? IKEA.. do better.2
GarbageJeffIKEA changed something with this rack. I’ve installed 5 others a few years back with no issue. Works exactly as expected. I just purchased an additional one and have had nothing but issues. The screw strip and brackets don’t align. I already made one return visit for new screws and brackets, but it happened again. Avoid this. 1
Bad DesignKaileeWe recently purchased a $2,000 closet wardrobe and are generally happy with the overall quality. However, the pull-out shoe shelves have been a major disappointment. As many others have noted, the design is inefficient, doesn’t make good use of space, and the screws don’t fit properly.
Unfortunately, returning the defective shelves requires a three-hour round trip to the nearest IKEA, which adds to our frustration.1
Low quality and screws don’t fitNicholasReally flimsy, dented and bent easily in transit. Like others have said the screws that secure the trays in place don’t fit the holes and are easy to strip. 1
Shoe shelfTaraNot my favorite accessory of PAX. Love the system and the ease of putting it all together except this shoe shelf. We thought the 1st piece was defective and went back to exchange it. The exchange was easy and everyone there was very helpful but the new piece does the same thing. We can NOT get the screws to tighten all the way on the upper shelf and therefore it shakes and wobbles. We are going to go to the store to see if they can show us what we are doing wrong. It might be user error, but the screws seem like they just don't fit in the predrilled holes. Love the entire set up otherwise!3
Will be returningMaggieI should have read the reviews!!! Terrible, terrible. Flimsy, doesn't screw in right, looks like bad workmanship. Will be switching these out for something different.1
Huge DisappointmentArmandoThis is the worst product IKEA has ever sold. I am a long-time satisfied customer but this tries my confidence. It is horrible to assemble, but the tiny screws supplied for the shelves are the worst part. They simply didn't fit and cannot thread the unthreaded metal parts they are supposed they are supposed to go into. Returning four of these duds tomorrow. I can't believe anybody wrote a positive review unless they received a different product.1
Needs redesign LawrenceProbably the worst IKEA design. Falls apart after few weeks. Metal bends. Too many points of failure. Screws fail, as they only screw into thin metal plates. Back plate hits wall with loud "clang". Takes up unnecessary vertical space. Very expensive.2
Worst IKEA Product AlexThis product is impossible to assemble . Of all the Pax/Komplement products, this one is awful. Screws do not fit in screw holes and immediate strip, extremely flimsy product. I bought 6 of these and regret it.1
Believe the reviews!!!AnonymousAbsolutely HORRENDOUS installation. How can two heavy pieces of metal be held together by a bunch of tiny screws you can barely get through? I will be looking through these comments for solutions on different screws because I'd rather do that than have to disassemble and return.1
Not up to IKEA standards DanielOf all the PAX products I’ve purchased this is by far the worst. As mentioned in many people’s reviews assembling this product is almost impossible. I had to go out and buy and tap set to re tap all the screw holes. The screws provided are absolutely useless… you cannot turn the screw head without stripping it. 1
Awful ScrewsPatryciaThis is probably the worse product to install I have ever had to deal with from Ikea. The screws are so brittle that the strip immediately and it's impossible to tighten them. Had to purchase a whole set of screws from a hardware store to make this work. However, once installed it does work very well. 3
Horrible Product- IMPOSSIBLE to assemble.JessicaWish I read the reviews.. assembly is horrendous with these little screws. They never are able to be tightened. We switched to a flathead instead of Phillips screwdriver which helped slightly but it’s next to IMPOSSIBLE to assemble properly. It’s unfortunate because these could be very nice racks…1