Image credit: Magnet
Magnet has been in the kitchens business for well over a hundred years, and all its high-quality cabinets are produced in the UK. The brand has an excellent track record with fitted kitchens and extremely favourable reviews on sites like TrustPilot and Google.
This brand could be ideal if you have a considerable budget and seek a personalised service and high-end products. When buying a new kitchen from Magnet, you can expect a variety of luxurious styles (modern, shaker and traditional), cabinet finishes and colours to choose from.
Magnet kitchens offer a “signature service” to help customers through the entire process of buying and installing a fitted kitchen. A dedicated designer will work with you closely, offering advice and aftercare to ensure your kitchen is fitted according to Magnet’s high standards.
Magnet is one of the priciest kitchen suppliers we’ve reviewed, with eight-piece units like the Integra Dunham selling for £6,406 or more. This range comes with a choice of 17 curated paint-to-order shades and an integrated handle.
The most affordable Magnet range is the Luna, but even this J-pull style kitchen will set you back £3,002 or more.
However, with Magnet’s considerable price tag, you can expect to get what you pay for. Magnet kitchens are made from quality materials and carry lengthy warranties, making for a solid investment you can enjoy for years to come.
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Technical information
Magnet kitchen cabinets are available in a range of styles: traditional, handleless and modern. All kitchen cabinets are made in the UK from either 16mm/18mm white or textured oak board. Drawers and doors come with the option of a smooth-close mechanism that prevents wear and tear.
Kitchen ranges: 18
Number of styles: 3
Finance available: Yes
Installation service: Yes
Brick wall in spacious modern designed white kitchen with marble floor
Key features
Highlights: Magnet kitchens offer luxurious finishing touches, including temperature-controlled wine coolers, built-in barista-style coffee machines and LED strips or spotlight lighting to brighten your kitchen.
Warranty: Magnet offers 20-year guarantees on rigid kitchen cabinets and a 15-year guarantee on Simply kitchen cabinets.
Cost: £1,879 for the Ascoli range to £6,918 for the Integra Nordic Nature range (prices are for eight-unit ready-to-assemble kitchens)
Payment options: “Buy now, pay later”, upfront and monthly payments.
Key benefit: Magnet kitchens offer high-quality, luxury cabinets, high-end finishes and quality materials.
Pros and cons
When investing in a new kitchen, your choice of kitchen supplier is a big decision. You must carefully consider the pros and cons before choosing where you buy your kitchen from.
Here are some advantages of buying your kitchen from Magnet:
- Variety: Magnet kitchens are available in three ranges and more than 18 beautiful designs. The company also offers exciting finishing touches, appliances and lighting.
- Aesthetics: Magnet kitchens are made with high-quality materials, ensuring durability and a beautiful high-end aesthetic.
- Customer service: Magnet’s customer service offering is consistently praised by customers. The brand offers personal design advice and assistance to new customers.
- Reputation: Magnet kitchens hold a 4.6-star TrustPilot rating online, demonstrating excellent customer service and product satisfaction.
- Warranty: Magnet kitchens come with extensive warranties: 20 years for rigid kitchen cabinets and 15 years for Simply cabinets.
However, choosing Magnet to supply your new kitchen does have a drawback: cost. Magnet is a premium kitchen brand. If your budget is limited, it might be best to look at another kitchen supplier.
How Magnet kitchens work
Magnet has a hands-on approach to kitchen installations and sales. You can meet with a Magnet consultant to discuss your preferences and budget before they measure your kitchen space for you. (You can also decide to measure your kitchen yourself.) This is then followed up with a virtual meeting or in-depth design consultation in-store before you get a 3D design and quote.
Once you approve your new kitchen design, you can choose financing or payment options that suit your needs. Ready-to-fit Magnet kitchens are the cheapest option; having your new kitchen delivered factory-assembled will cost you considerably more money. Magnet offers an installation service, but you can also use your own contractor.
The Tatton shaker-style kitchen by Magnet is a contemporary country design. (Image credit: Magnet)
How Magnet kitchens compare to others
Magnet kitchens are produced to extremely high standards, with a huge variety of designs and colours to choose from. However, even with monthly finance options, they can be very expensive and might not be suitable for everyone.
If Magnet kitchens just don’t suit your budget, we’d recommend considering Wickes. Wickes offers as many designs as Magnet, plus in-house consultations and installation. Their cabinetry is also high quality but at a more affordable price. For example, you can purchase an entire eight-unit kitchen for under £1,000 or a more premium style for slightly more.
B&Q is another option to consider. The brand offers 12 great ranges with attractive colours and finishes, and the pricing is very competitive.
If you are determined to use a contractor instead, you could ask your installer to provide options from Howdens. Howdens only sells to the trade, but it offers a great product range with fair pricing.
The shaker-inspired Tribeca kitchen by Magnet is available in two colours. (Image credit: Magnet)
How much do Magnet kitchens cost?
Magnet is considered a premium kitchen brand, and its pricing reflects this. However, you might find you can afford a Magnet kitchen when you consider the company’s range of competitive finance options.
Unlike some other kitchen brands, Magnet displays approximate costs on their website for small, medium and large kitchens, either ready to fit or factory assembled.
| Kitchen supplier | Cost of standard kitchen (excluding installation) |
|---|---|
| Wickes (Lifestyle range) | £929 to £3,000+ |
| B&Q | £1,053 to £2,798 |
| Magnet | £1,879 to £6,918 |
How to maintain your Magnet kitchen
Magnet kitchen suppliers are one of the few that actually offer aftercare support and advice about maintaining your new kitchen.
You don’t generally need to do much to maintain your Magnet kitchen. Ensure that sinks, pipes and boilers aren’t leaking inside or above the cabinets to avoid water damage. Cleaning with a simple household cleaner and a soft cloth is a good idea, and you should try to avoid harsh chemicals and bleaches that could damage or warp your cabinets and worktops.
The Dunham traditional kitchen by Magnet, in a neutral shade. (Image credit: Magnet)
What the professionals say
“If you’re looking for high-end finishes and luxury products, Magnet may be the way to go. Its fitted kitchens are usually pricier, but the materials the company uses are of incredible quality. The aesthetics and designs the company offers are also more unique and different than the traditional options available.”
“Magnet says it prides itself on matching customers with their dream kitchen. It has more than 30 kitchens in its range to choose from. These include different styles (modern, traditional or shaker), cabinet finishes and colours. Magnet has been making kitchens for more than 100 years, and all of its cabinets are manufactured in the UK. Magnet offers what it calls a ‘Signature Service’ to help you through the process of buying and installing your kitchen. This includes a dedicated designer, home survey, and aftercare service where Magnet tells you how to care for your kitchen and may visit to check it’s fitted correctly.”
The Winchester kitchen by Magnet in a sophisticated dark shade. (Image credit: Magnet)
What customers say
“Great service and suggestions from Mike, the designer at Bromborough. He was so helpful and knowledgeable, and I am thrilled with the end result – it looks exactly as I imagined, and Gary has done a superb job fitting it too. Would recommend Magnet to anyone following my experience.”
- Dee, TrustPilot
“An outstanding experience from start to finish. The level of detail and communication was first class and Andy, the Leith Walk Branch Manager, delivered an outstanding kitchen for us from first design to final snagging – of which there was none! Stress-free and enjoyable, and we love our new kitchen.”
- Mark, TrustPilot
“So pleased with my gorgeous new kitchen; it looks amazing. Thank you so much, David, at the Plymouth branch. Your customer service was fantastic, and I would highly recommend your professional service.”
- John, TrustPilot
“The kitchen is still left incomplete after six months of ongoing delays due to the incompetence of the Magnet staff and unprofessional builders. The Liverpool branch is completely unreliable, after promising a full installation in just one week, the work is still not finished and none of the staff or higher up customer service staff seem to care and ignore all calls and emails. The job that is half finished was of poor quality with wrong coloured and damaged panels, as well as clearly rushed installing and joining that had to be amended several times with little improvement. It seems that they are eager to help and promise exceptional customer service and out-of-this-world quality but once the money has been paid, they disappear and couldn’t care less. If you want a good quality kitchen and trustworthy service which won’t leave you feeling like you wish you never changed your kitchen in the first place AVOID MAGNET AT ALL COSTS. Truly the worst and most disorganised company I have ever encountered.”
- BezJohn, TrustPilot
Our methodology
This Magnet kitchen review was compiled following several weeks of research, involving studying customer reviews, blogs, media articles, technical documentation and more.
We devised a scoring system totalling 100 points, comprising of the following:
- The quality of the units (loading shelves, drawers, runners, hinges and worktops for three points each), for a total of 15 points;
- The availability of an in-house designer, for a total of five points;
- The availability of an in-house installer, for a total of five points;
- The number of ranges, colours and designs, for a maximum of five points each and a total of 15 points;
- The availability and length of warranty, for a total of 15 points;
- The cost, for a total of 10 points;
- Customer reviews and star ratings (Trustpilot, Google and Reviews.io), for a total of 15 points;
- Payment options, for a total of 10 points; and
- The number of local showrooms, shops and installers, for a total of 10 points.