[Update on May 2, 11:30am: This article has been updated with a statement from IKEA.]
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A Singaporean man, Adam Tan, is warning others about the DETOLF glass cabinet after his piece unexpectedly shattered at home.
The purchase from IKEA had been in use for more than a year before the incident happened.
Photo via Adam Tan
As the cabinet was made with tempered glass, the door shattered into granular chunks, rather than big glass shards.
Some in the comments section speculated that the recent hot weather could have led to the "explosion", as heat could cause the glass to expand.
However, it requires extreme heat (a rapid change to at least 150ºC) before thin glass gets affected, although stress fractures from differentiating temperatures within the glass could eventually cause it to shatter as well.
Another user pointed out that the load on the shelves (Tan had placed what looked like porcelain wares on it) may have contributed to the outcome.
Photo via Adam Tan
Tan also uploaded a photo of a finger injury, presumably from the glass.
Photo via Adam Tan
Others chimed in with their experience with IKEA glass:
Vouchers offered
According to the customer, IKEA had offered him vouchers, but Tan felt that the compensation was not commensurate with the situation, and urged others not to buy this series of cabinets.
The item is listed for S$89 on IKEA Singapore's website.
IKEA's response
Responding to a query from Mothership, a spokesperson for IKEA said that they are aware of the situation and is in touch with the customer, who has turned down medical consultation offered by the furniture company.
The spokesperson also explained that tension caused by a "strike, knock, or [...] scratch" can stay in the tempered glass, and a "very small impact" can then cause the glass to shatter later.
Although it's a "well-known industry issue", IKEA acknowledges that it can be "disconcerting" for anyone to experience it, and added that they do their best in ensuring product safety.
You can read their full statement here:
"Thank you for flagging this issue to us. IKEA Singapore is aware of the situation and has been in touch with the customer directly to offer support and apologise for the unpleasant situation. We are working together to come to a resolution, this includes offering medical consultation which the customer has turned down as it was a small cut.
As part of IKEA’s commitment to product safety, our furniture and products use tempered glass, that shatters into small cubic pieces and not in long sharp shards (which is the case for non-tempered glass). Sometimes, the tension caused by a strike, knock, or a scratch stays in the glass and a very small impact can cause the glass to shatter in the following hours, or even much later.
This is a well-known industry issue, but we acknowledge that it can be disconcerting for anyone to experience this. We do our utmost to ensure that IKEA products are safe to use by everyone, and extensive work has been put into developing safe glass products. IKEA product developers work alongside global industry leaders to continually develop and create glass that is more resistant, and ensure comprehensive quality and safety checks, so that customers can use our products with peace of mind. We will be reporting the incident to our product developers."
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Top image via Adam Tan