Are Nobilia and Rotpunkt kitchens comparable in terms of quality?

5 years ago

Hi. I'm having a new white gloss kitchen installed and have quotes from 2 different companies (both using the same design, number of cabinets etc). One is using Nobilia kitchen furniture and the other Rotpunkt. When it comes to comparing quotes is one of these superior over the other or are they of similar standard in terms of quality? Thanks

Featured Answer

PRO

Lifestyle Kitchens

4 years ago

I'd like to know what is so special about a so called 'german' or 'italian' kitchen from a technical viewpoint. What components do they use that is so special that can't be done by a UK company apart from the style of the door (that can easily be copied) how do they justify their 'superiority'. Nobilia buys up lots of different kitchen companies, they also own Magnet kitchens as well but there's nothing special about them.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

Carolina
5 years ago
I don't know about Nobilia, but had a Rotpunkt kitchen for 20 years and it was great quality.
Sue Bec
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks Carolina.
Related Discussions
Stripped wood floor in kitchen?
Q
Comments (22)
If you have worries about maintenance then we would recommend a hard wax oil. We supply Treatex, matt or satin finish. Once applied after installation (2 coats are recommended) it will last anywhere from 5-10 years. Also, great choice of wood flooring as if you do get the odd scratch that's noticeable, simply apply the same hard wax oil onto the affected area and it will blend the colour back in. For those deeper scratches then it's as easy as using a bit of sand paper and finishing with the hard wax oil again. In terms of insulation, there are a number of underlays out there that will help, make sure it comes with a damp proof membrane. Again we supply these from a 15m2 foam roll to a rubber 10m2 roll. Both have acoustic properties and the rubber underlay comes with a tog rating of 0.55. We hope this is of some help, if you have any other questions just let us know.
...See More
torn between kitchen styles
Q
Comments (67)
Hi Tani, I have an ikea kitchen. I wanted wood doors and nothing traditional and ikea did oak doors that I liked. What swung it for me was reading about how many architects use ikea. One thing I know is that they use very good designers, so their stuff tends to be 'clever'. You do have to construct the carcasses and some fitters don't like this. What is good is that the carcasses hang off a steel rail. This is attached to the wall and then all of the cupboards hang in a straight line and then the feet are adjusted at the front. My carpenter adjusted my units as he was fitting them, even reducing the depth at times, so the whole thing was bespoke. The other thing is that they are much bigger. They go much nearer to the floor and the kick plates are virtually invisible, this looks more contemporary. They are deeper to so you can't get a standard off the shelf worktop. I paid the same for the fitting as the cost of the units, in my opinion it's all about the fitting. Most carpenter use Howdens as they have accounts and it's familiar to them. I also saved money by using a thin layer of quartz over moisture resistant MDF (a bit like an engineered floor). Whole thing was 16K including removing a load bearing wall, plastering, electrics, kitchen everything.
...See More
kitchen unit style
Q
Comments (10)
If you're looking at the J profile handleless door then make sure you get a painted and lacquered 22mm thick door and not an inferior vinyl wrapped door. The differences are the painted door has a deep J profile which you can get your fingers in and open the appliance doors easily. Also you can now have a d/washer that is push/touch open doors, i know Bosch make one. A vinyl wrapped door due to manufacturing limitations has a very shallow profile and you can't get your fingers into the groove for d/washers and fr/frz to open easily. There are a few cut and edged deep J profile vinyl doors on the market now but tbh the finish of the edging around the J profile isn't the best. As for the true handleless style as previously stated more expensive to produce, more fiddly to install (more expensive), limited choice of accessories and unit sizes unlikely to find any curved doors to suit and you have to make sure any appliances will fit underneath the handle rail. An independant supplier would be able to offer more colour choices for the handle rail than one of the sheds as there's plenty of different colours on the market.
...See More
Thoughts please! Could this look work with my final kitchen design?
Q
Comments (46)
Ikea Kitchens are excellent, the attention to quality is superb. Lots of suppliers only offer doors in particular sizes, which is why when you go to an appointment at Wickes for example and you then take it to Howdens, they often have to swap the cabinets around as they don't all do all the sizes. Factoring in that you may want to change the doors in a few years at this point is in my opinion daft. You buy a kitchen and it should last 10-15 years. Magnet and Howdens offer great kitchens too. However, I have personal experience of fitting an Ikea Kitchen last year and was very impressed. I've used Howdens several times too. There are many companies however, that offer custom sizes when ordering replacements such as Kitchen door workshop and Kitchen Door Outlet to name but two. Saying that you can't replace the doors, just simply isn't accurate.
...See More
Rishi Mehta
4 years ago
Any other views on this? We're in the same position with comparable quotes.
Been told by the designer supplying Rotpunkt that Nobilia is entry level, but they would say that!
PRO
Artform London
4 years ago
I am a little surprised the prices would be the same. If you post a drawing, we can perhaps give you a better idea of where you stand with this. Also, are you saying the price is the same with worktops, appliances and installation or just for cabinets alone?
Rishi Mehta
4 years ago
Hi Artform, thanks - I'm not saying the furniture costs are the same but they are certainly within a comparable range. Are you surprised because you think there is a big difference between these 2 brands?
PRO
Artform London
4 years ago
Well, Habitat sell Nobilia kitchens and, I believe, so do Homebase! Personally I'm not a great fan of German kitchens, I prefer Italian - the engineering is identical but the styling is, well .......... Italian!
PRO
Artform London
4 years ago
If you'd like a comparable quote for Italian cabinets, let me know.
PRO
OnePlan
4 years ago
Hi Sue - it’s great that you are shopping around - but why stop at two companies ! Ask for more quotations and keep looking - there are some wonderful people out there in the kitchen industry who would be delighted to provide a service and product to you.
Jonathan
4 years ago
I have observed that although any UK company can emulate the German kitchen manufacturers they don’t.
The German brands seem to be able to offer a complete choice of cabinet sizes and panels and trims and colours in all their finishes, have solid construction and have them engineered so that gaps between doors is accurate and small. They can build in lighting and they can book match a wood grain across doors, include choices such as different plinth heights, different opening mechanisms, bespoke door proportions so they look like they are fitted to the floor.
A UK company could emulate all of these things but they don’t seem to, with gaps and omissions in their range. Despite the weak pound the German products seem to be well priced and therefore the only issue is timescales- it seems that the product from abroad may be delivered a couple of weeks later.
PRO
Artform London
4 years ago
I agree with Jonathan albeit that his comments should apply also to Italian kitchens. The majority of kitchens from these two countries, even low priced ones, are manufactured to incredibly precise standards. Installed properly, you should expect vertical gaps of no more that 3mm between doors. And this will be precise throughout! Place 6 x 600mm cabinets side by side and they will measure 3600mm - not a millimetre more!

Most, if not all German & Italian kitchens also use top quality very high density chipboard for carcases, not the lowest price board available which one can quite easily break with two hands, and which will bow and expand at the slightest sign of moisture. I am not saying that ALL British manufacturers use cheap material but those at the bottom of the market certainly do, in order to keep their prices low. So take care to select good quality carcases!

And the difference between German and Italian manufacturers? I doubt there is much difference at all in respect of quality (except German carcases are generally 16mm whilst the Italians use 18mm - but same quality board) but I believe there is a huge difference in flexibility. One of the manufacturers we use provides carcases in melamine faced chipboard as well as veneered chipboard, plywood, MDF, stainless steel or a special 100% water resistant material made of recycled paper! Cabinets are available in any size with doors in laminate, lacquer, veneer, glass, brass, stainless steel & many other metals, Corian, stone, quartz and numerous other materials.

Of course, all of this is available in the UK, but you'll need to go the bespoke route and you may not be able to get everything from any one company.

Yes, delivery from Germany or Italy may take a little longer bit good things are worth waiting for - aren't they?
PRO
Lifestyle Kitchens
4 years ago
So as not to hijack this discussion and start debating about the pro's and con's of German and Italian kitchens against a UK kitchen i've started a new thread in the kitchen advice section if anyone would like to comment.

Are Nobilia and Rotpunkt kitchens comparable in terms of quality?

Lifestyle Kitchens

Comments (12)

Carolina

Sue Bec
Original Author

Related Discussions

Rishi Mehta

Artform London

Rishi Mehta

Artform London

Artform London

OnePlan

Jonathan

Artform London

Lifestyle Kitchens

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Are Nobilia and Rotpunkt kitchens comparable in terms of quality?

Comments (12)

Sue BecOriginal Author

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Sue Bec
Original Author