Customer Reviews

Enclume MPA-07 RACK IT UP Accessory Shelf Pot Rack

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Fits nicely on the wall in my teeny-tiny kitchen. I've got it set up to hold 6 pots and pans plus a couple of small items, and my cookbooks are up on top. It's perfect for about that amount of stuff (especially after I wall-mounted a lid holder next to it).

It's attractive, it's sturdy, and it was actually surprisingly easy to install. They include a set of high-end anchors that allows this to be installed *anywhere* on the (drywall not plaster) wall, instead of requiring that you mount it on a stud. That means it's possible to put it exactly where you want it.

Excellent item, very well made-heavy duty. Holds my professional clad pans with ease and the shelf top is perfect for the overflow. Amazingly low profile, this rack holds a lot in a small space. Perfect for a little kitchen. Very happy with this item.

I want to like the rack. It is a good price. It is solidly built. It looks really sharp. It comes with nice hardware to let you hang it on a drywall wall without studs.

However, it is quite a pain to put together. I have a bachelors degree in Computer Science, so I generally think I am good at following directions. I have had great success with Ikea directions. However, the directions on this thing kicked my butt. I had to read most lines 10 times to understand what it meant. Then I would still miss some subtle detail and have to redo the step. Trying to get the sides aligned perfectly square so that the holes would be the prescribed 20.75 inches apart was very hard. You would adjust it one way, and it would lean the other way. So much harder to get square than it should have been. The bolts I was working on were also very soft, so after 2 or 3 adjustments they would be stripped out, and that was all the adjustments you can do.

The included hardware assumes no studs. So if there is a stud where you want to hang it, you are out of luck. The included hardware also assumes 1.75" of empty space behind the drywall. If both these conditions are met, it will work great. If you have less than 1.75" of space behind your drywall, you will need to find another way to mount it.

So in conclusion, if you are good at reading complicated directions, and want a sturdy pot rack for a good price, get this guy. If you are not very handy, you might be better off with a different one.

First off I would like to say that this rack was not difficult to assemble as some reviews have said. It only has about 6 pieces and there was really nothing tricky to it at all. I had it assembled and on the wall in less than 1/2 hour.

This rack does seem a little overpriced, but it is very good quality and quite heavy duty. This fit perfectly in my kitchen pantry and is holding five frying pans and two strainers. Plus I have a pressure cooker and a couple of mixing bowls on the shelf. My wife is thrilled with it.

One thing I should mention is that it really takes two hands to take a frying pan off of it. You really need to hold the hook with one hand and slide the pan off with the other. Otherwise the hook will come off the rack when trying to slide the pan off. I suppose you could crimp the hook down a little more to help prevent this, but seeing as we hung ours at a height where it is easy enough to hold the hook, it is really not an issue.

Great little rack that freed up quite a bit of cupboard space!

Length:: 0:16 Mins

I bought this rack based on the limited amount of space I have in my apartment. Some of the reviews mentioned the instructions were hard to follow. I thought the instructions were clear, to the point, and in the proper order.

There's nothing magical about the "state of the art" fastening system for drywall. It's nothing more than a toggle bolt for drywall that can be purchased at any hardware store.

The rack looks good and hold my pans well. It says it can be painted, but I like the color as is.

The only problem I actually found is that the allen wrench supplied only fit the wall anchor screws. It did not fit the screws used to assemble the rack, so I had to dig through my tool box for one. Not a big deal but I thought worth mentioning.

I definitely think the product is worth the $35, especially if you have limited space like I do.

<<< UPDATE >>>

I wanted to edit this (28-Feb-2011) after using it a while:

1. The price has almost doubled from what I paid for mine. I paid $35 and today it is $60. I'm not sure why it's so high now, but maybe I bought mine on sale?

2. I wish I kept the instruction sheet to re-read. I keep reading these reviews that it is hard to assemble and the instructions are hard to follow. I did not think it was hard to assemble nor the instructions hard to follow. It has a total of six screws to assemble the rack. 2 of these screws are used for the support strap. Then there are 3 screws to anchor it to the wall.

My advice for assembly: Start all the frame screws into their holes and make sure they all screw in and out easily (BEFORE YOU TRY PUTTING IT TOGETHER). Assemble this on a flat surface to make sure you get the thing relatively flat. Mount the back strap (part that screws to the wall) to the 3 sided frame. DON'T tighten the four screws until they are all started and a little snug. This will allow for minor adjustment to make sure the frame stays flat. When you install the support strap, make sure it is perpendicular to the frame, then tighten it.

The biggest part of mounting this to the wall is to make sure you pre-drill the holes for the anchors (the right size bit is important). Also, don't use a drill to screw the thing to the wall, do it by hand. It's easy to break the anchors if you don't. Use a level to make sure it's level and a pencil to mark the hole locations for drilling. Install the shelf to the wall first. Then install the support strap to the wall. One thing I did was flex the support strap a little before I marked the hole location. When I had the shelf secure to the wall, I flexed the strap toward the shelf slightly (not enough to make the shelf become unlevel). Then mark the hole location for drilling. You can remove the strap to get it out of your way while you drill and install the anchor.

Tools required: Drill (with correct sized bits), allen keys, pencil for marking the wall, and a level. Maybe a hammer to persuade the anchors into the wall a little, but I don't remember needing one. The key is using the right sized drill bits for the anchors.

I think my total time for installation (including unboxing, assembly, and wall mounting) was about an hour.

I did have one small problem about a month after I installed it. I put the hooks in a position that allowed the shelf to tip when I removed a pan from the back. The front pan basically pulled the shelf over. This was my mistake of where I positioned the hooks. Make sure the hooks are on the inside of the shelf supports. As an added precaution, I added a couple of black cable ties to make sure the shelf stays put.

So far I've had this about 5 months and I love it. Be sure to give enough clearance for your pans to hang, but as far as I am concerned, it was a good investment for me. I'm not doubting the other reviewers that had problems, but I still think it was easy to assemble and install. I've put together entertainment centers that I thought were more difficult. I don't have an assembly video, but I've attached a short video of the finished product. I hope some find it helpful.

I looked long and hard for a pot rack that would work in my kitchen, was within my budget and could handle all my pots. This unit met all my expectations. I really like the wire grid. I can hang pots any which way I choose. Right, left, forward, backward, it doesn't matter with the versatility of the wire grid. I can also use the outside frame for hanging pots. The versatility is amazing. I did opt for additional hanging hooks from Cuisinart. In addition, the weight rating is amazing. I was a little concerned about the instructions being not clear enough based on another reviewer but had no problem assembling this unit and attaching to the wall. I was so pleased with this unit that I bought another as a gift for my daughter and son-in-law.

This unit should be Feng Shui compatible (if you're into that kind of thing) since Feng Shui doesn't like free hanging ceiling pot holders that you can walk under. This unit mounts to a wall so this should not be a problem for Feng Shui enthusiasts. At least that's what I've heard from friends.

I needed more space for my smallish kitchen and I knew a pot rack would be a bonus - but I wanted one that was wall oriented and small enough to fit anywhere. I searched the site and read all the reviews of this item and the references to small kitchens so I took a chance and am I thrilled with it!!!! I got the extra Calphalon hangers and used all of them for pans and lids and utensils etc - I couldn't say enough good about this product!

This is a very good pot rack. It looks good, it is sturdy and stable, and it has room for two good sized stock pots on top, which is nice. The only problem I had with it was while installing it. The rack comes with these heavy duty anchors, but the anchors require at least 2 inches of clearance in your wall to work (note that I said IN your wall; that is between the inside wall and the outside of your house). If you don't have two inches of clearance for some reason, then you have to find some other way to hang the rack, and the manufacturer will not provide any help when you call them. I eventually hung it with some traditional anchors and made some adjustments to insure stability, and it has been on our wall for more than 2 months with no problems. Even with the installation problems, I would definitely recommend this pot rack. It makes our kitchen look classier.

I have a nice kitchen but its very small with not much wall space. The biggest empty wall for a pot rack was 23" next to my window and it was hard to find something that fit. Voila - this little pot rack fit the bill! My husband installed it and said it was very easy to do. It holds my everyday pans/pots (8" pan, 10" pan, small pot, xoxo splash guard, and my clad 10" pan). Looks great and I would high recommend it!

Works great. It installed pretty easily and the instructions were good. The only thing I found that didn't work with the instructions was the size of one of the drill bits it recommended. I actually used a 5/8" bit for the lower holes instead of 5/16" like in the instructions because I could not fit the plastic sleeve screw holders in 5/16". I think it may be a typo on the instructions.