****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Solid wood top, bottom, and shelf. I did use wood glue on wood pegs, along all edges of back panel and decorative corners to make it a stronger. The decorative corners did not have pre drilled holes so I marked them and pre drilled them myself. I also put the shelf on the low setting to have a low shoe shelf. Baskets seem a bit small, but they are big enough to put the living room throw in. I did not have issues with any wood chips and scratches, or shedding baskets. I like it and am very happy with the purchase.I’d buy this again. As good as assemble yourself furniture gets. Real wood with a nice finish. Looks really good sitting in the corner by the door. My wife is happy.Sturdiness: The sticker on the back shows a weight limit of 200lbs. It’s as sturdy as any assemble yourself bench.Easy to assemble. My unit did have pre-installed dowels on the top that did not slide easily by hand into the holes on one of the sides. A light tap with a rubber mallet against a piece of scrap wood to spread the force of the blow and they slid in place. It took 15 minutes to put it together.The baskets are ok. They are wicker baskets - what do you expect from wicker basement?All in all this is a good value for the money.We received this boot bench yesterday after it having been backorders for a couple of weeks. As other reviewers have noted, the quality of construction is good, and the finishes on our bench were unmarred and consistent in color. The baskets which ship with this bench are the only downside to the overall review. They are cheaply made, and I expect them to last maybe a year at most. The weaving is already beginning to unravel in some places. I would think Cymax, the maker of the bench, would want to upgrade this problem with a heavier, and coated weaving. One final thing which was a small problem was that the back panel of the bench had a four inch by eight inch label with meaningless instructions on it pasted to one side. No matter which side of the panel one decides to have the label showing, it is unnecessary, and an eyesore. After applying Goop-Off for thirty minutes, then using a blunt end scraper, we finally removed the label. We also had to apply some walnut stain to cover the place where the adhesive of the label affected the appearance. Guys... leave the stupid label off! Other than these issues, we still feel the bench is worth the price paid.UPDATE: Cymax was most responsive to my issue over the decal and its effect on the appearance of the bench. They credited a large portion of the purchase price to my satisfaction. Amazon Marketplace and Cymax are tops.This bench looks pretty, but it is just too wobbly to really use. It's fine for kids, but as an adult I don't trust it for sitting on which negates the whole purpose of the bench. My husband also struggles with the height of the bench as it hurts his back to use it when putting shoes on.After reading reviews, I decided to go ahead and purchase this bench. The price was extremely attractive and I figured, if I didn't like, I could always return it (love Amazon.com).It arrived and was relatively simple to put together. I didn't have any pieces missing. The only thing I had was a little scratch on the top part of the bench - a little discolored, but you know what? I'm not complaining - it's cheap and free shipping. I'll deal with a little scratch. After all, I'm sure I will be making my own on there in due course.As another reviewer mentioned, there was a loud "CRACK" the first time you sit on it, but after that, it's great. I'm about 215lbs and sit on it every morning to put my shoes on and afternoon to take them off.I give it 4/5 because of the scratch (even though I am not bothered by it, it shouldn't be there) and also because it does feel a little cheap. Not saying it isn't handling me, but if I had a couple teenagers, I may be a little concerned with them plopping down on top of it with all their might. For us, it serves the purpose we need.Great entry way bench. This bench was like a dream when we found it. My husband and I wanted a entry way bench with a shelf and a place for bins. The only thing lacking is a seat cushion. That would have made this a 5 star review. It was easy to assemble (think IKEA) and is nice a sturdy. My kids climb all over it and people are constantly up and down off of it and holds up great so far. The bins did have a chemical type smell but that aired out in a day or so. Plus the finish is a little bit darker than pictured, but I was expecting that and it fits in perfectly with my entryway. Overall, this is a great quality bench and I would definitely buy from this seller again. I just WISH it had a seat cushion that came with it. I am now having to spend almost as much as this bench to even just make one myself.This is a really nice, sturdy storage bench with solid wood pieces. The baskets are in good shape. I cut some fabric to line the bottoms and preserve the straw/rattan. I had a little friend (spider) crawl out with the instructions, so be careful. Thinking he might be an invasive species from Thailand, I squished him. Suggest you do the same. My only concern with this bench oddly comes from the fact that the entire thing is made of solid wood. I've seen so many assemble-at-home furnishings that are wood veneer over composite that look just as fine upon completion as this bench. I feel like I've personally contributed to the huge problem of deforestation in Southeast Asia. No one would call me an environmentalist, but think that stopping things like deforestation, over-fishing, and water pollution is often accomplished one purchase at a time. As beautiful as this bench is, the next time I think I'm putting wood veneer over engineered woods or composites on my list of requirements.I needed something to use as a toybox and couldn't find anything simple in my price range (cheap!). I added some mismatched baskets to the lower shelf for toys and am using the upper shelf for books. It looks good in the living room but if you look at it you can tell it's pressboard. If this bothers me I'll just paint it but so far I'm fine with it. Shipping was really quick, especially since I'm on an island and in a rural area and my boyfriend had it put together in about a half hour. He said he wouldn't trust it to sit on but he's a pretty big guy. Overall I'm happy with this purchase. Quality is as expected for the price.Je suis contente de mon achat. C'est un banc solide, de bonne qualité, mais on ne précise pas le poids qu'il pourrait supporter. Sur le descriptif du montage pour le meuble, il y a des lettres et des chiffres, mais elles ne sont pas associées aux pièces. Il ne faut pas s'en faire, il demeure tout de même très simple à monter puisqu'il n'y a que 6 panneaux à assembler. Le meuble est tel que présenté par le vendeur. Je recommande ce produit.I ordered the bench in April/May. It arrived with major damage and several manufacturing defects. I exchanged for a new one. (It is big and heavy - what if I was old or did not have a car? - I would have been screwed) It arrived in July. The replacement bench has several small defects, and one large defect. I have decided that the trouble involved in exchanging again is not worth it. I have wasted many hours unpacking, repacking, and dealing with the post office; I will waste no further time. The manufacturer has no quality control, no quality assurance, and no integrity. In both benches there were crudely attempted repairs made. These crooks sold me 2 defective benches with repairs so obvious it seemed like a smack of insult. I ordered from Amazon for the time saving and convenience. It turned out to be more time, and very inconvenient. I would consider shopping at Amazon.ca if things were made right for me - but I do not believe a company the size of Amazon could possibly do the right thing for a single customer. I would guess that the person(s) at Amazon.ca who actually care, and can do something for me will never see this review. How can the left hand know what the right is doing when they have never met? My experience with Amazon.ca will be an interesting anecdote for parties and such. I am a firm believer in come-up-ins for those who behave badly; it serves as a lesson to encourage right action.Steve VrgaAt the end of the consumer abyssVery well made. Easy to assemble. LOVE IT! Typical of Winsome. I have purchased many of their items and I have never been disappointed.I love this piece and it was a snap to assemble!
