[Rewarded Review] Difficult to Assemble--Understatement of the Year

When then other metal bookcases I ordered were out of stock indefinitely, I had to scramble to find something to put in my classroom within the next week.

Would NOT recommend, even if it was free!!

I wish I had taken photos during the incredibly frustrating assembly process. My husband and I had to assemble multiple bookshelves we ordered while redecorating our home, and this particular brand/model is BY FAR THE WORST. We had no issues with the others we ordered from different sellers.

[Rewarded Review] Okay, but make sure to buy more than one

I have had to buy 3 of these, because they kept being delivered damaged. At one point, I had two at my house at once- one waiting to be returned and the other a replacement. Good thing, because the replacement had a damaged piece too, but the one being returned had that piece in good condition, so I was able to switch them. Also, I would say about half of the holes for the backing don't align well with the panels, and the middle shelf is really hard to get the screws in all the way. None of the parts are labeled either. So, the easy assembly it says, isn't true. It took me about 4 hours to get everything together and in the room.

It's called 'Value Mate' for a reason

The good: They're a good price for steel bookcases and they hold quite a lot without my worrying that they will collapse. Powder-coated steel = no peeling paint. They're tall and should be secured to the wall with anchors. I've had them for 3 or 4 years with no problems. The Less Good: The backing is not metal but is basically cardboard.

A pain to assemble, but sturdy

I read lots of reviews of other folks having a hard time assembling this shelf and after assembling a smaller unit of the same type, I thought they were exaggerations. However, this larger shelving unit was really challenging to assemble, and the cheap cardboard backing looks kind of wonky. After much cursing by my husband during assembly, the shelf looks good holding my books and for the price, it is as expected.

nonverbal assembly instructions useless

I think that there should be at least 2 extra of each assembly screw and button, with the ease of misplacing one at some point in the assembly. Further, the cardboard back of the case makes it difficult to insert screws without some tearing of the hole on the cardboard, especially if the cardboard dimensions do not exactly match the bookcase housing dimensions. I recommend that the manufacturer substitute a more durable back wall to the case, to make assembly more easy to accomplish. Even a sheet metal backing would be helpful, in comparison. Finally, some verbal cues are needed with the pictures in the assembly pages.

Worst product purchased in my entire life!

We have moved an purchased a bunch of furniture (most from overstock.com) and I have never been this disappointed! I got this bookshelf because I thought that if it was made of metal then it will be sturdy and less banged up like some of the particle board crap I've gotten recently. Not only was this not worth the $$, I would like nothing more than to get back 4.5 hr I have spent trying to put it together. Whoever wrote that "all you need to do is read the istructions carefully and it's easy" is either mocking the rest of us or lying and working for the company trying to boost the ratings for this product! There is nothing to read in the instructions "manual." It is a bunch of terrible schematics with 10 "easy" steps that do not talk about the orientation of the products nor do these parts come labeled! The quality of the metal is so flimsy and the holes do not align properly and require a dozen people holding it all together to even screw in one screw (so I figured out after doing it all by myself). Majority of screws require you to get inside the shelves with a flashlight to find the tiniest of the holes that need to be magically aligned and screwed in the most inconvenient angles! Whoever designed this has never screwed in a single screw in his/her entire career! Once it was all finally "put together" it is still flimsy and wobbly (especially since it's so tall) and I regret purchasing this product more than I regret any other decision in my life. Honestly, I wish I could just get my $$ back and throw the thing away, but I just don't want the hassle of taking it apart, shipping it back or putting any more shelves together. It makes me so angry! This product is garbage and should never be sold! If you hate someone, send them this as a gift.

Need Patience in Assembly

I wanted bookcases that were both inexpensive and strong to hold a lot of books. I purchased two 6-shelf and one 3-shelf in black. Make sure you eat a good meal, take your vitamins and leave all distractions as this is not very easy to put together. (Reward yourself with a martini or a piece of cake after!) I am very experienced putting things together and found this to be quite difficult because the instructions aren't very good. Look at them carefully or you can put stuff in the wrong way. It was also difficult to line up the correct holes to put in the screws. BUT, once together, they are great. They look really nice, hold the books well and you can't see the few scrapes or paint defects. I am going to assemble #3 now - wish me luck! ;-)

Great bookcase but difficult to put together!

I liked the bookcase and was happy with it after I put it together. The assembly however was a nightmare. I put it together by myself but I think even with help, it would have been difficult. None of the screws entirely screwed into the joints. I even had to get into the most compromising positions with my screwdrive to attach the shelves. I got so frustrated, I abandoned the project until the next morning. I could use another one, but I can't endure having to put another one together. There was even a step to use a piece of the cardboard box to insert this one plastic piece. I had to read twice to believe that was an actual step. Really like finished product, but bookcase should be redesigned for better assembly.

I liked these shelves

I have read the other reviews and thought them unfair of this product. Any furniture assembly the first time is time consuming and confusing. I bought one of these for my basement and set it up with my 11 year old son in an hour. It came with accurate instruction but because i never did this before they were confusing. If you buy these take your time and read the instructions carefully before screwing anything together, match holes and be cautious of placing parts upside down or backward (because then the holes don't line up). I did find that screwing in the shelves was challenging as they were in an awkward position. Good luck, give yourself plenty of time, this is at least a one hour project if you are not used to assembling furniture.