Audio · Head-to-head
Atocha Design Record Stand vs IKEA KALLAX Shelving Unit, 77x147 cm
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Vinyl Record Storage: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Atocha stand is the only unit here that publishes a per bin capacity, uses fixed dividers, and is built on a plywood core specifically to carry vinyl. KALLAX is the sensible answer for almost everyone else, as long as you anchor it and stop short of packing every cube solid.
Atocha Design Record Stand
Buy itA purpose built six bin record stand with published per bin capacity and a plywood core chosen for the load.
- Six fixed bins with a stated 50 LPs each, 300 records total, and Atocha says that figure deliberately leaves finger room for flipping.
- Bases are solid birch hardwood core plywood with a hardwood veneer top layer, which is the construction that matters under vinyl.
- Records sit face forward at browsing height, so you flip covers instead of reading spines.
- Made to order with an approximately six week lead time, so it is not a same week fix.
- Bins are wide enough that a half full one lets records lean unless you add a filler block behind them.
- Atocha does not publish a weight rating for the stand, only a capacity in LPs.
IKEA KALLAX Shelving Unit, 77x147 cm
Buy itThe cube shelf the whole hobby defaults to, for good geometric reasons, with one load figure you should know about.
- Each opening is 33 cm square, the size IKEA's own KALLAX inserts are built to, which clears an LP jacket with room to get fingers in.
- Eight cubes in a 76.5 by 39 by 146.5 cm unit, and it can stand upright or lie down as a low sideboard.
- Doors, drawers and shelf inserts drop in later if you want part of the collection closed off.
- IKEA rates each shelf at 13 kg, about 29 pounds, and a cube packed solid with LPs is heavier than that.
- IKEA prints a tipping hazard warning and states the unit must be securely anchored.
- Particleboard and fibreboard with honeycomb paper filling, not a plywood or hardwood core.
Side by side
| Atocha Design Record Stand | IKEA KALLAX Shelving Unit, 77x147 cm | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | A collector with 200 to 300 records who wants an open, browsable stand that will still be flat in twenty years. | Almost anyone building a first real storage wall who will anchor it and not cram every cube to the edge. |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Atocha Design Record Stand - A purpose built six bin record stand with published per bin capacity and a plywood core chosen for the load. Choose the IKEA KALLAX Shelving Unit, 77x147 cm instead if almost anyone building a first real storage wall who will anchor it and not cram every cube to the edge.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Vinyl Record Storage: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).