I needed a double-rail shirt hanger for my new smaller apartment, and settled on this (mostly because of the price). I wish I had saved the money and put it toward what I have now. I'm not saying it's not for anyone, but it isn't for me. First, I wanted something that would last, and this doesn't give that impression. Second, I'm tall (Men's L or XL), and that means that shirts hang about 38" from the rail. There's considerably less with this unit-- 32" from the upper to the lower rail, or the bottom shelf. Womens' or childrens' shirts may be able to hang without crumpling up at their tails. (This is for dress shirts and flannel shirts. Sweatshirts and sweaters just barely fit, with some of the longer ones bumping the floor.) I wouldn't really recommend it for the kids, though, or for constant use: The force-fit method of connection means that there's considerable sway, even when just sliding clothes on hangers from one side of the rail to the other. I temporarily solved this by putting a blanket on the top and letting it drape off the sides-- it still swayed with use but at least didn't bump into the wall each time. Assembly was easy, though I'd suggest a rubber mallet to (gently) seat the poles into the shelf supports. The only issue I ran into was the instructions, which note that certain "stickered sides" should go one way or the other; look carefully for a tiny round sticker, the same color as the plastic, on a few of the support pieces. Disassembly was easy too (especially with that same rubber mallet), and the unit is easy to carry whether assembled or not; so this would make a good emergency clothes storage unit. It's the same general idea as an inflatable bed. There's not much room between the top shelf and the top clothes rail. I use plastic hangers and had to twist them considerably to get them to fit under the shelf (and not hang up on the wire frame). Lifting a shirt off was also more trouble than it should have been. The bottom rail doesn't have this problem. I can't vouch for the long-term reliability of this product, but remember that it's metal poles friction-fit into plastic sockets. I would be surprised if it survived two years of modest use, based on experiences with similar systems. It might last longer if you used it for storage of seldom-used garments, something you wouldn't need to access every day. The "silver" is actually grey, which worked for me; it's not a bright chrome but a sort of industrial color. It's neutral enough to go with anything. I can't say it looks great, but if you're shopping for a cheap clothes rail, you probably aren't getting into House Beautiful magazine. (Time out for a short rant: Why are different colored products sold at different prices? I would have preferred the black paint job, but that was six dollars more. What, black paint is rarer than grey?) What I wound up getting was the ALGOT frame system from Ikea. Four units give you slightly more rail space than the Whitmor product, though no little wire shelves on the side. I got six, one of which had basket-drawer rails, and still found it a bargain at $129. If you can handle building the Whitmor, you can handle building the ALGOT. These screw together firmly and are much heavier-duty, though still have some sway to them when moving clothes (not enough so that I needed the blanket as padding). Four ALGOT clothes rail frames plus two top shelves will run you half again as much as the Whitmor unit, but will let you store taller mens' shirts and not worry that the whole thing will collapse. Now all I have to do is sell this slightly used wire-frame shelf unit. Any takers?
