German kitchens in general are a byword for quality so just how do Schuller Kitchens compare with the rest of the pack?
You’ll get a great kitchen with a German made brand, but how do you pick out the best brand for price, quality and specification? For instance, Schuller Kitchens is a well-known brand, but how do they compare with the alternatives?
How do Schuller Kitchens compare in price?
Schuller Kitchens aren’t cheap! However they are no more expensive than many of the other German brands. Brands such as Hacker, Leicht, Bauformat, Pronorm and Nolte are all similar in price to Schuller. Siematic, Poggenpohl, Eggersmann, Warendorf kitchens and Bulthaup are a step up from Schuller.
Whilst most Schuller kitchens can be priced in the region of £20,000 to £30,000 for the complete kitchen, including worktop and appliance brands such as AEG or Siemens, you are easily looking at twice this cost and more when considering the likes of Poggenpohl.
However, it’s worth noting that there are a few German brands on the market that are just as good quality as Schuller, but cost up to 35% less. The problem is, knowing where to find them.
How do Schuller Kitchens compare in quality?
Most German brands are made to a similar quality — that is, that they’re built to last at least fifteen years. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say there’s no such thing as a bad German kitchen brand. In this, Schuller Kitchens are no exception.
There’s a very simple reason for this. All the brands buy their components from the same suppliers, and these only provide high-quality products. So Schuller Kitchens build their units from much the same high quality components as Hacker, Leicht, Bauformat, Pronorm, Nobilia and Nolte.
How do Schuller Kitchens compare in specification?
Just like Hacker & Bauformat, Schuller Kitchens have two ranges that vary in specification. Their entry level ‘C’ range features 720mm high base units units with 150mm high plinths. Their premium ‘Next125’ range, on the other hand, has 780mm high base units with 100mm high plinths. The benefit a 780mm high base unit has over a 720mm high unit is it offers about 15% more usable capacity.
It’s important not to confuse specification with quality. Specification relates to the features and benefits the units offer where as quality refers to how long it will last. So, In terms of quality, all Schuller Kitchens are much the same. So, a ‘C’ kitchen will last just as long as a ‘Next125’ kitchen — fifteen years at the very least. The difference is that Next125 base units offer 15-20% more storage capacity than a ‘C’ kitchen.
However, it’s worth noting that there are a few German brands on the market that cost similar to Schuller kitchens, but offer a much higher specification for the money. For example. Schuller, like many other German brands, come with 3mm thick hardboard backs. In constrast, some brands offer 8mm thick solid backs & are no more expensive than Schuller.
Another example is the choice of internal carcass colours. Schuller only offer a choice of one or two internal carcass colours. However, some brands offer a choice of up to 25 internal carcass colours & again, are no more expensive than Schuller. This means you’ll usually be able to match the colour of the door you choose to the colour of the unit inside. Matching the colour of the door to the internal colour of the unit gives a much more seemless look. So, for example, if you’re having a dark grey door, it looks a lot nicer when you open the door & the colour of the unit inside is dark grey rather than white.
Unfortunately, knowing where to find these brands is tricky. However, this is where we come in. We’ll point you in the direction of the nearest showrooms that offer them.
Lloyd Feldman is passionate about helping people find the best value kitchens and his website KitchenFindr is a sort of kitchen broker that looks to sell on leads to the retailers.
According to the KitchenFindr website About Us page, "Like a mortgage broker, our service is FREE to consumers. If you buy a kitchen from a showroom we recommend, the showroom pays us a commission. This cost has no effect on the price you pay as showrooms do not pass it on"
As with any significant purchase is pays dividends to do your research and due diligence to ensure that the company designing, selling and fitting your kitchen is reputable and has some trading history and demonstrable customer case studies to show you.