Ikea Boaxel impressions as a Elfa shelving user

As a long-time Elfa shelving user, I was looking for a cheaper option in less demanding scenarios. After a bit of searching online, I found the Ikea Boaxel system. Here are some of my notes after building a wall storage solution using the Boaxel system:

First of all, the two systems differ dramatically in cost – given that the Ikea Boaxel is about one third the price of equivalent Elfa shelving, we shouldn’t go into this with the expectation of getting the same thing. These systems target very different price points.

One of the ways that the Boaxel system achieves its lower price point is by being flimsier than Elfa. If you intend to put heavy things on the shelves, this is not the system for you. Ikea don’t seem to quote the system load-bearing capacity in their specifications, but it is less sturdy in all ways compared to Elfa. Not that this is inherently a flaw – we don’t all need to store big heavy bins on our shelves – but it is an important deciding factor.

Beyond being generally flimsier, the way that the Boaxel system transfers loads to the wall is quite different: while Elfa shelving transfers loads primarily to the overhead suspension rail, the Boaxel system puts the load on the (many – one about every 10 inches) fasteners on the uprights. The uprights will flex if they aren’t fully fastened to the wall, so the top rail is mostly an alignment tool than a load-bearing part of the system.

The sheer number of fasteners needed in the Boaxel system may also be a turn-off: while Elfa shelving allows you to mount the top rail, then slide the uprights around freely (handy if you like to reconfigure your shelving), Boaxel top rails and uprights must all be fastened to the wall. Reconfiguring the location of the uprights in a Boaxel system is a lot more work. In US stick-frame construction, this means making (and patching on removal) a lot of holes in the drywall for the fasteners.

Other than the MDF “wood” shelves (which I didn’t try), the various shelving options in the two systems don’t have direct equivalents. The wire shelving in the Boaxel system is much lighter-duty than the Elfa ones. The stamped steel shelves have no equivalent in the Elfa system and are a handy addition.

The tabs that mount shelves to their supports seem to be an especially weak part of the Boaxel system. They are small and easy to bend out of shape. This isn’t a fatal flaw, but something to be careful about when installing the shelves – if something doesn’t fit perfectly, brute-forcing it will likely end up bending some tabs and making things worse. You need to be more careful when installing Boaxel shelves while the Elfa wire shelves tend to actually require a little force to clip in properly.

Finally, Boaxel does not have the plastic rail covers to make the system look neat and tidy. I never use them with my Elfa shelves, but if this matters to you, the Elfa shelving system will look a lot more “finished” than Boaxel will. You can cover the suspension rail and hide the fasteners in an Elfa system. The fasteners are all visible in the Boaxel system. The brackets between shelves arguably require less beautification (because they are so slim), but the ends aren’t smooth and are covered with hard-to-remove labels.