On the bright side: The cabinet came with all its parts, was milled relatively precisely (the holes were where they needed to be), and was, as advertised, pine. Or some kind of pine-ish fabricated wood--but not, say, particleboard with pine veneer. And once together, it seems to be stable and as attractive as in the photo.
Now the bad stuff: the design was idiotic. Basically the whole thing snaps together with dowels, with wood screws on the side panels. But putting the pieces together is a nightmare (probably why they say it requires two people).
The thing is... it doesn't have to be this way! They could have simply added more screws and made it quite easy to put together. I don't know why they didn't--maybe the hardware is expensive and cut into the margins. Or maybe they didn't want to spoil the "fine wood" look and feel (hahahaha!) with too many screw-heads.
Seriously, it's a freaking SHELF. Made of pine-ique, or some other faux-real-wood boards. A few extra screws would've been fine.
It dawned on me about halfway through the two hours (!) it took to assemble the damn thing that I could probably have designed, built, and assembled a better shelf in the same amount of time. Okay, I would have still had to have sanded down the edges, and slapped on a finishing coat... but basically, the whole "snap together" design was just. plain. stupid.
If you don't have the same esthetic sense I do, and have another person to help, you'll probably find this item perfect, particularly at the price. As I said, it's stable and attractive.
But... I should've just gone to Ikea.
| Product Dimensions | 48 x 13 x 30 inches; 43.78 Pounds |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 43.8 pounds |
| Manufacturer | Amazon Basics |
| ASIN | B07DG73QKM |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | M42370B28 |
| Date First Available | September 20, 2018 |
