Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

NOTE: when assembling this type of shelf, make sure the two plastic clips snap into a groove with TOP in the correct position and are snug together, without a space between them. Also, start with all four legs flat on the floor and mark a groove BELOW where you want to put the shelves with a piece of masking tape at the same level on all four legs. Then detach the bottom sections of the of the legs until you get the first TWO shelves into place. Attach next sections as you go up. TRUST ME. I am a 68 y/o woman who has put all her shelves and others (for friends) together and I have done them without help up to 18x48x72"! Now about this product. It got worse as the day wore on. See ending comment. If you plan to use it for the occasional knick-knack or folded towels/clothes, eh, okay. Mine was meant to hold a number of things where I have a TV nook in my efficiency apartment and I need to put an 8-10 pound swing arm lamp on it. NOT GOOD. Despite the fact the shelves are rated at 100 pounds each. First of all, these are the first shelves I have worked with that have the support edges facing UP which gives a rim to the shelf. Not desirable for me. Having put together so many others, I just glanced at the instructions and put the rim down. Problems--I centered the shelf holes over the clips (which are fatter at the bottom to keep the shelf from sliding down) and gave them an all-the-way-around tap with a rubber mallet but the shelves barely slipped down. I went around again, hitting the side rails close to the support posts (the holes are also tapered, believe it or not). The SHELF WIRE BENT. Yep, the shelf that was supposed to stand up to 100 pounds. When I finally got the thing together, I put the lamp on a shelf and, even with the super flimsy provided liner which is thin milky plastic that detract from the black simplicity of the unit, the lamp tilted and I could see the wire under it gave way every time I moved the lamp to adjust the swing arm. I bought this because it is the perfect size for me. BUT IT IS A PIECE OF CRAP. Oh, don't get me wrong, for light weight stuff it may be the perfect thing. But don't expect it to weather repeated use or the placement of anything hefty. Cute Beany Babies happen to come to mind, though. Now that I rechecked the ad, I think it is probably not untruthful (for the most part) but it is definitely deceptive. Even though I had noticed the brand was not one I had ever seen before, I bought it anyway. Poor decision on my part. Now I will return this one and get a slightly larger one (sigh) that I can trust. I dread taking it apart. You see, all the other shelves I have had, the legs screwed together. These hold on by pressure and are much thinner than even other short shelving I have. Yes, my place has lots of these things, including an handy butcher's rack but when I was confronted by limited floor space, I found myself becoming "a small footprint, lots of storage and display" kinda gal. NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY... The ad is NOT truthful. The shelves are listed at 12x18" but are 11.5x16.5 externally. That means the inside clearances are roughly 1" less. And I almost bought shallow wicker bread baskets to hold my stuff. They would have been too large!! Now I'm really mad. Excuse me while I shout my expletives to my cat.... I am Mariposa, which means Butterfly in Spanish. OOO...I'll add a few choice Spanish words while I am at it and a PA Dutch cuss or two, too. PROBLEM!!! When I contacted Amazon for a refund and informed the associate that I could not undo the pressure-held legs, he suggested I get a larger box. I informed him that the legs are 48" tall, roughly up to my shoulder. After putting me on hold, I was then informed I would get a refund without a return. I could keep, sell or give the product away. I found a perfect home for it in my elderly high rise. The 'puzzlers' gladly snatched it up to store their boxed puzzles. Nice size. And the boxes are a perfect weight for this unit So really analyze well what you need this product for and if a more expensive, stronger unit would be a better choice.