I did have an elfa piece break during a move. The Container Store replaced it, no questions. I have some leftover, unused pieces from projects. Last time I was in the store, they said they would buy it back at the sale price, even without a receipt. So there's that.

Are accessories interchangeable?

I haven't had the Ikea version but have had Elfa and another closet system that I can't think of at the moment. From what I've seen, Elfa has the most bells and whistles and opportunities to customize - way more than I need/want but I tend to keep things simple. Many people like the Ikea system so if it has the options to customize that work for you, why not?

There are differences in how much weight the shelves and brackets can withstand. I think I saw a comparison in Consumer Reports when I was shopping for closet systems. But I had to go with Elfa because they were the only ones with standalone rails that don't need to be attached to the wall. I was able to use support brackets from Closetmaid and FreedomRail on the Elfa rails.

I am using the Ikea closet system in my studio. It is fine for just shelves and drawers but I'd be concerned with lots of weight from hanging clothing for example, unless they are reinforced somehow? Also I found their pull out shoe racks, etc were not the same quality as their kitchen units.

We used EasyClosets.com for two houses...let me count how many closets...8 so far? We're going with them AGAIN in our new house (even more closets, as this time we're going to use them for our garage, laundry, and pantry as well). Absolutely love them! Great prices, easy to assemble and rearrange, amazing quality, fantastic customer support. I can't speak highly enough!!! We've told our last two builders not to bother putting anything in the closets, as we prefer to do our own.

I have used elfa in our master closet and absolutely love it. It is easy to install and very flexible - you can change /add something very easily. I have done it couple of times. We also used gliding drawers in our pantry and they are very good as well.

To save money, we used HomeDepot's closetMaid solution in couple of places - it takes lot more time to install and does not have much flexibility, and not as strong as Elfa. Not to mention does not look very good. I put a bin with some heavy stuff in our coat closet and the shelf collapsed. I should have been more careful. Anyway, we are replacing it with Elfa.

In our basement, we used Lowes solution - Rubbermaid - homefree. It also takes lot longer to install, lot less flexible than Elfa but better than closetMaid. In one of the storage closets we put in 18" shelves that hold heave stuff like books, holiday stuff..luggage, and it is holding up great.

The biggest advantage of Elfa is that, you have lots of components and you can purchase any single item or a kit. With Rubbermaid, there are very few individual components that you can buy. Elfa also looks much nicer. I don't have any experience with IKEA closets - I checked it out one time and to me it did not seem very sturdy.

Elfa's biggest sale is in December after Christmas - 30% off - that will be the time to buy entire closet system. If you miss that, there is the summer sale in August (I think) which is 25% off.

I should've been more specific:

I'm not looking to hang anything on the wall; rather, I'm looking at the runners-and-bins units that would be appropriate for the lower portion of a pantry. I want the "units" that don't attach to the wall. In fact, this picture is almost exactly what's in my mind -- I even intend to store my small appliances on the tops. The differences: All my small appliances are candy apple red, and I want casters under each "unit" so I can easily pull them out for cleaning.

As such, I'm thinking that the off-brands are just as good, though watching for the sales is also excellent advice. Interchangeability won't be an issue, and I'm not looking for bells and whistles.

Thanks for the advice, all.

I also used Easy Closets for all my closets, including pantry because i don't like the look of the Elfa's wire shelves. Price was almost the same. The online design team at Easy Closets reviewed my design to make sure it will fit correctly and that i am maximizing my space. They have 15% off sale often, so be on the look out for that. I am very happy with Easy Closets.