If you’re expecting a quality piece of furniture, look elsewhere. Depending on what you're buying it for, there are definitely better choices out there. I recently tore out an ugly stock pantry cabinet in my kitchen to rebuild a larger, nicer one in its place, but it’s just too hot to take on a woodworking project outdoors right now (I live in Alabama), not to mention my lack of time, so I bought this cabinet as a temporary fix until late autumn. All I can say is, it serves the purpose I needed it for. And that was to get all my kitchen junk off my counters until I could replace my pantry cabinet. Having read all the negative reviews, I knew what to expect and made the decision that was best for me based on my situation. Construction: It arrived with nicks and dings, plus a scratch on one of the doors. Again, it’s temporary so I won't fuss about that. Also, RTA furniture isn't exactly known for its ability to endure shipping. No matter how well it's packaged.. It’s idiot-proof to put it together. Not complicated at all. I will say this in favor of it, it doesn’t seem as rickety as many reviewers would have you to believe, IF you put it together properly. The panels are screwed directly into each other instead of using cam screws, so that alone helps structural integrity. Once my back panel was tacked on, it didn’t sway at all, even without the shelves in. The bottom skirt helps with that as well. Tip: I’ve come to learn over the years that RTA furniture tends to need a little fine tuning to be the best it can be. It’s particle board, plain and simple, so the joints are never all that strong. A good idea is to buy a few corner braces (very inexpensive) and secure each joint with one on each end. Also, the shelf pins that accompany this cabinet are plastic, so you if you want, you can easily upgrade to a bag of metal pins for just a buck or two. If you know you’ll be storing things on the heavy side, you may want to take these precautions or your cabinet will soon be falling apart on you. Your choice... Size: I studied its dimensions before I ordered it and used my tape measure to get an idea of size where I'd be placing it, so I didn’t go into it thinking I was getting something bigger than I actually was. Surprisingly, it holds a good bit of my kitchen stuff. I’ll be using it in conjunction with a fridge side rolling pantry, so it’s perfect for my needs right now. Overall: I think with light use, this could be an okay piece of furniture. If you have things you just want to hide away that you don’t use on a daily basis, this is your cabinet. Maybe in a guest room or your very own bedroom. You might also like to buy one for a teen going off to college. It's decent looking and better than the little plastic cubbies most big box stores try to shove down your throat during college moving season. It may even last until they graduate, if taken care of. I would not be bold enough to use this in a kid’s room. Again, it’s just not up to the task of vigorous use. The biggest gripe I have is that the espresso color went down from $39.95 to $27.96 (which is the more logical price for the cabinet) only a few weeks after I bought it. My recommendation that you purchase this cabinet is contingent upon you keeping your expectations VERY realistic. You are indeed getting what you pay for. Edit 9/12/2020: I came back to increase my initial rating of this cabinet from a 1 to a 4 because fair is fair. Despite its suspect quality when I first bought it, it really has held up over the years. After using it in a few different rooms in my house, I ended up finally giving it to my sister when I outgrew my need for it. What impressed me is that it has survived pretty much every day use over the past four years, was moved numerous times and looks exactly the same as the day it was purchased. There are no broken shelves or shelf pins. The doors are still in tact. Everything is good. Like I said in the original review, the life of it largely depends upon how you assemble it. I know it stinks to have to do extra to something after you've already paid for it, but hey, it's relatively cheap compared to other cabinets and the tune ups needed to make it better aren't costly at all. Grab a bottle of wood glue, a few corner braces and you're good to go. And that's just for heavy storage. For light stuff, you shouldn't have to do anything to it. Overall, I'd give anyone my complete blessing to buy this shelf. I stand by it 100%.
