I have recently fitted an IKEA Kitchen, and went through the same considerations. The factors that swayed me were:
-That IKEA guarantee
- The fact that a local Kitchen supplier couldn't give me one example of how the IKEA kitchen was inferior (comparing chipboard carcasses etc)
- The IKEA Kitchen doors and drawer fronts were Solid OAK (not veneer etc) meaning they could be trimmed etc to fit custom sizes
- The fittings are BLUM from Austria
- the units are full depth (no air gap at the back -> more space )
- A friends kitchen fitter said he wouldn't fit an IKEA kitchen, was taken to see one and admitted it was fine.
- Price - if I was spending three times the price and gettinga three times better kitchen that would be one thing, but when most are chipboard carcasses etc where is the benefit of this extra price?

- The Oak doors were made in Italy & China
- The chipboard base units were made in Sweden & Lithuania
- There was No MDF (maybe used in other doors with a foil finish)
When viewing in IKEA we saw some staining of the white gloss foil finish doors etc from the glue etc beneath.
We used a separate solid granite worktop rather than the IKEA ones which are not so good in my opinion being made from a veneer.