****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Having assembled literally hundreds of different pieces of furniture over the years (used to be employed at a furniture store), I have to say this turned out to be everything I was expecting it to be - possibly even more considering the price. I might not recommend this for someone who has never assembled anything and/or isn't relatively handy, but all things considered I would say it's somewhere in between beginner and intermediate in terms of difficulty. I've seen a fair amount of reviews state it required a couple of hours from start to finish, which is fair seeing as how there is glass and mirror to cautiously contend with, but if you're experienced you will likely be able to get everything into place and functional in less than that.The only discrepancy I will point out is that the one pictured seems to have three lights in the top interior, however mine came with and was designed for only one (although it could accommodate three should you wish to make the addition). This was by no means a deal-breaker for me, but I thought it was worth mentioning for anyone else considering this purchase. This shipped in two boxes and was clearly labeled and illustrated in regards to its contents, so that's also something to keep in mind should it be intended as a surprise for someone you reside with.All in all the quality is quite nice, and I am very pleased to be giving this a gift!It is what my wife want for her Boyd figurines. Assembly is easy if you have tools and handy at using them. Lots of assembly.This is a beautiful corner shelf unit. It's exactly what we've been looking for, so I might be a little heavy on the stars. It's a quality piece of furniture so I'll leave them at five.Construction was a challenge, but I've done pieces like this before so it was okay. I did NOT have broken-screw problems like someone else reported. It took me three days, a couple of hours each day, because I'm getting too old for this sort of thing. But everything that went wrong was my fault: misreading the instructions, grabbing the wrong screws, etc. Helpful hint: the silver "turn screw locks" each have a tiny triangle, or arrow, stamped into the outer face, so you can preset them to point at the silver screw heads that it has to lock onto.Panels: these are very well marked. I'd suggest you pay attention to the "UP" stickers. Don't worry about getting them off, they are almost all hidden once it's in place. (If one is showing, you may have to take a closer look at how you assembled that part of it.) The only exception is one of the glass shelves, where there is an "S" sticker that needs more than a finger nail. I did the best I could and installed the shelf so that bit was on the very bottom right-hand side, and pretty much out of view.Screws: These come in a very well marked "blister" pack, a white plastic sheet with about a dozen clear plastic blisters holding the like-numbered parts. Let me strongly suggest that you slit open the top of each blister so you can pour out all the screws EXCEPT ONE so you can refer back to each numbered blisters and see exactly which screw/whatever corresponds to the required part number. Note that the tiny antique screws are many, and there are TWO sizes, which is not so obvious if you just dumped them in piles like I did. Leaving one of each in its numbered blister will prevent a lot of confusion, and I believe I had at least one extra of every part so it won't be missed during assembly.My only complaint is the lack of a light in the bottom section, though there seems to be pre-drilled holes to accommodate the bracket for another light fixture.First I read some of the other purchasers' comments and at least one said not to follow the directions and put the top half together first. So I started with step 10 or 11 and did the bottom first. As a 55+ year old woman, I was able to put the whole cabinet together on my own with the assistance of a 12 Volt Dewalt battery operated drill/screwdriver. I also saw a comment that said the cams broke easily so I paid extra attention to making sure they were tight but not over tightened. The entire cabinet took about 4 hours to complete from opening the box to placing the first dish in it. There were complaints in some of the reviews that said not all the pre-drilled holes lined up and I found a few like that, but Dewalt and I fixed that quickly. Pros: 1. the kit came with extra screws and cams so I had 1 or 2 of each left over when I finished. 2. The instructions were clear enough that I was able to figure everything out on my own and included a QR Code block that I believe would have taken me to a website for more in-depth instructions if I had needed it. 3. The packaging was very good, glass and mirrors were well protected and arrived in good condition. 4. The dimensions:it fits into a corner without taking up a lot of floor space. Con: Not everything lined up in machined precision, however, most of it was fixable by re-drilling the screw pilot holes. Overall, I'm very pleased with the cabinet and have ordered a second one for the other corner of the dining nook.
