From 'Cheaply Made' To 'Perfect For My Needs': Why Customers Are So Divided On This Ikea Food Storage Set

Ikea is known as a great place to get storage pieces that are budget friendly. But there's one tiny Ikea storage find that some customers rave about, while others are less than thrilled about its quality. At $4.99, the Ikea UTBJUDA is a low-cost and lightweight lunchbox duo that consists of two stackable containers, one that's deeper and one that's more shallow. Put one part of your lunch, like pasta, in one container, and a side dish like a salad in the other, and stack them on top of each other for a compact lunch box. 

What's especially handy is that you can buy additional units to keep building up vertically, making the set versatile for traveling with a bunch of different food items. "I stack several narrow units ... each with a different part of my lunch ... travels very well! They seal very securely," says a buyer on the website. Customers also note that while the size of the containers is somewhat compact, this is useful for everything from snacks to school lunches. "My son has to pack his lunch and dinner meals a few times a week for sports. This packs small and is easy to open and close," shares another buyer. That said, there are some complaints about this food container.

Ikea makes one thing very clear about this lunch container set: it is meant for dry foods only; liquids will leak as the containers are not designed to be leak-proof, much to some customers' disappointment. "I put ALMOST anything in it. Unfortunately, it is not leak proof so no soups or thin stew or curries," warns one shopper on the Ikea website.

Other customers aren't happy with the construction of this container set, and even the bargain price isn't enough to get past that. Multiple buyers seemed to have trouble closing the containers. "Hard to snap pieces into place. Cheaply made," complains a buyer. Another issue buyers ran into is that although Ikea describes the set as dishwasher-safe (as well as freezer and microwave-safe), this wasn't their experience. "They started off sealing very well but after going through the dishwasher the edges no longer align so I can seal it. I can't get the little flip things to lock with each other," a shopper says. Still, there are enough happy customers who find the lunchbox set an affordable Ikea storage find to have on hand. Ikea's prices are so cheap that at $4.99, it may be worth giving UTBJUDA a shot.