Recently, I've gotten myself in a rather expensive yet satisfying hobby that is figure collecting. As I lurked on the interwebs for the past few weeks, I realized that there is some cult-level shit going on here. People seem to worship a certain display cabinet called DETOLF from the land of smelly and gummy fishes. What is this DETOLF? Why is everyone so concerned with this specific cabinet? It has piqued my interest enough to dig around for its background and history.
Image belongs to yakumo
The Cult of DETOLFarianism!
I must digress, before I begin my perilous journey to quench my thirst for knowledge, it's kinda important to go over the company in question. IKEA. Pronounced IKEA in most grammatically proper countries and AIKEEA in US and Canadia, it is the creation of mastermind Ingvar Kamprad to dominate the home furnishing sector of poor students world-over. With its moderately priced stuffs and children deposit areas, they won the hearts of many quasi-designer-types. The company name is an acronym of Ingvar Kamprad's name, Elmtaryd (name of the farm he grew up in) and Agunnaryd (his hometown). The colour scheme of yellow and blue is reminiscent of the Swedish flag. IKEA is well known for their flat-pack, DIY furniture to minimize transportation cost per unit. Oh, and also allegedly bullying on Denmark.
Is this not the face of a benevolent man?
Ingvar Kamprad, a dsylxeic, found that the furniture unit codes that was being sold was needlessly a shit (SHIIIITTTT), so he gave products a creative but somewhat psychotic naming scheme. They were named from locations, common names, and whatever Swedo-Fin stuffs that was nearby. This segues to DETOLF; after failing to find the meaning behind the name, despite meticulously scouring the web, I contacted an IKEA representative for the meaning behind DETOLF. They responded that it's a Swedish male name. It's a name that's waned in popularity.
DETOLF is a versatile cabinet, and the factory load limit per shelf is listed at 13 lb (6 kg). The glass is tempered, making them robust, and shatters into cubes. The hue of the base comes in either beech or black-brown coloration, and the skinny metal frame accentuates the display item in all its glory. The frames are powder coated, which gives them a pleasing look while also extending their lifespan. Owners often complain that they tend to be flimsy, however, there are rather few major reported incidents. Most of these complaints apparently arises from the builder's mistakes.
It's like getting kicked in the nads.
DETOLF appeals to many figure collectors, because IKEA is fairly accessible. Many major cities have an outlet and some smaller towns are eligible to have them delivered to their door (with additional fees). IKEA products are known for their consistency, and for the price, they are decent in quality. The money saved is money earned, and what do we do with the earned money? That's right, more figures!
A lesson in IKEA's capitalism 101: Since the consumer is already on location, they might as well buy some lighting for the DETOLF. And meatballs. As stated on the IKEA website, DETOLF is designed with light integration on their mind. The general consensus on lighting is using IKEA's own DIODER LED strip. The other option is DIODER LED pads. For maximum flamboyancy, DIODER multicolor strip .
For additional precautions, owners can invest in some special UV protection films to keep the figures from discolouring too quickly. For ~$25, a single pack of The Clear Protection Window Film can be used on two sides of the cabinetry! Wow! Unnnnnnbelievable! Mind you, this doesn't completely filter out UV rays. It should only be used as extra precautionary measures. Reviewers say that it's difficult to place the films without bubbles forming. Other safety measures include fastening the cabinet to a wall (IKEA website claim that a tipped DETOLF can be fatal, LOL).
I think I'll probably get some DETOLFs in the future. After I get a new flat. And more figs. Definitely more figs.
Sincerely,
Me
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