Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Brief- I recommend this product for many reasons detailed below. Just wrote a longer review so people know what they are getting and getting into. I had assembled a couple similar ones in the past but it was long enough ago that I had to re-learn some lessons. Keep reading and it will save you time and (maybe) trouble. Long: Assuming you already bought this then read before assembling. If you haven't yet then there are a few things you would want to know prior to purchase. First -- For those who are about to build the unit: In step 4 they indicate not to overtighten the wood screws (T). As the unit is made of particle board, overtightening the screws might cause the wood to split. This is potentially a cosmetic problem but not a major issue. What the instructions FAIL TO MENTION is that in step 3 it is CRUCIAL not to overtighten the part "P" bolts. The fitting into which they insert is plastic while the bolts are metal. Years back, similar products used a metal fitting, but no longer. Therefore if you tighten the bolt it will continue to screw into the fitting and leave an insufficient amount of length for part "R" to clamp to. If you make this error it is easy to fix by backing "R" out a bit. Best practice if not in a well lit room is to tighten R using a flashlight to see the residual air gap between it and the board. Once this is no longer visible STOP. Tolerances are very tight and any further will lead to the unit being unstable as these joints will separate when under any strain. The other tip is to have an assistant available for at least 5 minutes at the end of the assembly process with a work-around indicated in the text below if you do not. ---- As to a review of the actual product. There is good news and bad news. The (not very) bad news is that an identical unit purchased 10 years ago was of better overall quality - the shelves were deeper and thicker (not an issue as the weight they hold is minimal) with better hardware to keep them in place. The current metal pins for that task are smaller while the holes they go in are not so they are apt to fall out until you actually fill the shelves to put some tension on them. It just takes a bit of patience putting them back in but in the end they work fine. The shelf depth becomes a consideration if you have this in a public space since they now measure a hair over 4.5 inch rather than just under 5.5 in. As a result, the ends of dvd/blu ray/CD cases will overhang the end of the shelf which may not be cosmetically pleasing to some (on the upside- no dusting!). That's really it as far as bad news. The good news is that this does what it is supposed to, isn't unattractive and will hold a fair number of items. It will arrive in a fairly unwieldy package. I will repeat this a couple of times to make sure the point gets across. This is a large heavy object prior to and after disassembly. The shipping weight is 65 lbs. In a pack or suitcase that's not a problem to get up several flights of stairs. In a box this size and without handles it is a two person job unless you are in a situation where you can cut the box open and take the larger pieces up first and the rest later. Just something to be aware of. One really big piece of GOOD NEWS is that the box is thick cardboard with considerable foam packing to keep all the pieces from moving around during transit and while not indestructible it should survive being dropped from low heights during transit. After all the reviews of similar items I read complaining about damage which happened prior to arrival, I didn't take this as a given. Unless they drop it out the back of the truck or drive the truck over it, you should be ok! You will need floor space larger than the final size of the unit to be able to assemble it (for those who haven't before). The instructions have you assemble the whole item face up (finished side up) then flip it over to put the back on it. (as an aside my unit conveniently had the stickers on each part located on the inner face of each piece making it less likely one would end up with it pointing the wrong way [but this wasn't specified in the instructions]) Assembly was straightforward and should take 30-45 minutes with a screwdriver and hammer (a little longer if you are a newby and/or alone). Apart from getting the parts up the stairs, you really only need an assistant for about 5 minutes of that time to get the unit flipped over and from horizontal to vertical. Flipping the unit over is a bit problematic, particularly by yourself. Once all the shelves are in the unit will have considerable structural strength. It's actually quite solid (read heavy) and my other one shows no signs of aging. Barring water damage these are likely to outlast me. HOWEVER, until the shelves are in and PARTICULARLY prior to getting the back on the thing there is not much in the way of torsional rigidity. So it is possible to damage the unit (or have it come apart temporarily) while moving it with the back off. This is more likely to happen if you are doing it by yourself and the unit is, therefore, under greater stress. As I was working alone I departed from the instructions (NOT recommending this course of action, just saying it will work). I built the top of the unit (including putting the back on carefully) then built the bottom and had that upright first and subsequently lowered the top onto it (resting the latter against an adjacent wall with a protective blanket between it and the wall). Once I lowered the top unit onto the base unit I tightened the fasteners between the two and put the back on the lower half (the latter not being nearly as easy as doing it flat but doable). It really helps to have three hands and the wall acted as that. This avoided putting strain on the unit during assembly. If you do it flat be advised that the base is wider than the rest (so it won't tip) and when you roll the unit over so it is "face down" this will leave the middle unsupported. It is best to have something to put underneath it to help support it so that the junction between top and bottom halves is not unduly exercised (particularly as you are about to beat on the back of it with a hammer to get the nails in place). YMMV. One more thing to be advised of. The screws which go through the bottom of the unit have holes for them to be started in BUT not tapped for the screw heads. Therefore the heads of the screws will protrude slightly from the bottom of the unit (remember they said to not overtighten to avoid splitting the wood). If this is going in a carpeted are or on a rug, no issue. If you plan to place it on a wood floor then self adhesive furniture pads (small) to cover the screw heads are a must purchase.