I bought these after using similar ones in a medical facility. The shelf consists of four upright poles with two pieces each that connect by a third short section of pipe. The shelves are held in place by two part plastic sleeves which are slightly cone-shaped and snap together easily in the grooves placed about 1 inch apart on the poles. The shelves have slightly cone-shaped tubing pieces at the corners which slide down over the plastic sleeves and fit firmly against the poles. These only fit together one way so some attention must be paid to orientation. The plastic sleeve pieces are clearly marked as to orientation, and are identical halves, so you cannot mismatch them (without effort, that is).The only tools I needed were a rubber mallet and some scrap wood (to protect my floor when pounding with the mallet). The pole sections have to be pounded firmly together, and the shelves have to be pounded into place with the mallet. Because of the shape of the plastic sleeves and the shelf corner tubing, (narrower at the top, wider at the bottom) downward pressure on the shelf actually makes it grip the pole more tightly, which is the secret of the strength of these kind of shelves. It is quite ingenius, actually. One of those simple, elegant design ideas that usually go unnoticed. If someone has trouble with the shelves not locking together fimrly, it is probably because they have not pounded the parts together properly, which is quite clearly explained in the instructions.
I took one star off because Target had so much trouble getting these to me. The first set was either never sent or "got lost." After Amazon intervened on my behalf, Target sent the second set to my post office box! (Needless to say, it didn't fit.) Neither package had good tracking data, or an email from Target that it had been sent. Now it may be that I just hit Target on a bad day, but for a first experience with their distance ordering, I am definitely soured on them for taking over a month to get the order right (well, almost right). I will definitely buy more of these shelves, but direct from the manufacturer.
These are excellent shelves, very simple, attractive, and strong. The manufacturer, Seville Classics, also has extra parts and other designs one can buy. I heartily recommend the shelves, but caution is advised when dealing with Target.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2010:
Amazon now sells these directly with better shipping options than Target. Go for the Amazon buy, definitely. I now have 7 of these and love them. I am getting ready to get a bunch for my "day job" facility.
This is the fourth size of these shelves I've gotten. One larger and two smaller let's call this one 'large'. The X-large one was my first. It is one 6-shelf unit or two 3-shelf units. I use it as two units. It is loaded with heavy power tools, loaded tool boxes, etc and handles it with no problem. The medium sized ones are packed with garden supplies, gallons of paint, etc. The small one is loaded with gallons of bleach and detergents and softener bottles. This large size I use for boxes of house supplies some heavy some lite. The product is as described and looks exactly like the picture.
QUALITY = Zero defects with the legs, shelves, plastic height adjusters, wheel assemblies, welding and chrome plating. The design is simple and effective the weight of the shelves and items of the shelves hold everything in place no screws.
ASSEMBLY = The instructions are poor but once you figure it out it is quick and easy and simply repetitive to put together. I've assembled all of mine by myself. The first x-large one I got took me an hour, now it takes me 10 minutes to put them together or tear them apart to change the shelf heights. No special tools required all of mine came with a little wrench to tighten the wheel bolts. A rubber mallet proved handy to tighten the shelves down on the plastic adjusters (and to knock them loose to change the height as desired) but a shoe works as well. One corner of a shelf kept popping up and causing the plastic adjuster to pop off until I figured out I needed to get it on a level floor, square up the legs by twisting the whole unit a little, and whacked it with the mallet to wedge it down on the plastic adjuster. Caution: Don't step on any of the plastic height adjusters as you assemble it cause there are no extras!
DURABILITY = I can't imagine what I could put on it that would be heavy enough to break it. Compared to the laundry shelf/hanger unit I bought from a competitor these shelves are commercial strength. The laundry shelf wiggles and wobbles every time I touch it but these shelves are sturdy. Heavier than I expected too.
(2011 Update: I finally broke one wire on a bottom shelf by 'throwing' a 24 case of soda pop on it. I still love these shelves and bought another large one for the storage unit in my rental condo doubled the storage 'capacity' of the storage unit for my tenants.)
USABILITY = Great. I definitely prefer the models with wheels for ease in rearranging my basement storage and for cleaning around, etc. Even fully loaded with heavy items the x-large one is easy to move around with wheels on concrete. The wheel locks work well (just place them on opposite corners of each other). The shelf spacing is very flexible with grooves for the plastic height adjusters every inch or so. Excellent for workshops, garages, basements, pantry, and contemporary or chef-quality kitchens but not something I'd put in my living room at least not in chrome. I'd probably lose the wheels if I were to put it in the kitchen to soften the look a bit.
VALUE = I was pleasantly surprised but now (August 2011) they've jacked up the price too much. See my opening paragraph. OLD REVIEW: I looked at the plastic shelves which cost less but for me the wheels, the looks, the adjustable heights, and the durability was worth the extra money. My sister has several versions of the plastic shelves in her basement and she doesn't like having to unload them or drag them across the floor to rearrange or clean. But if all you're going to store on them is boxes of bows and wrapping paper then these shelves are probably overkill. If I had a garage and/or a place for them in the kitchen I'd have more of them and put my heavy Kitchen-Aid mixer and the like on one of these.
Buy Seville Classics 17.5 by 7.5 by 18.5-Inch Shelf Organizer Now
... I have decided to edit my review. I've had a few people mark it "not helpful", probably due to it's tone or length, so I hope this is more helpful. This should be four stars, not five, but too late to change it.... This is a solid, quality product, typically, although I suppose it's possible to get one that's not 100%. I personally have not, and I've assembled dozens of these, over thirty in all.
... If they are not assembled correctly, they can give you headaches, but I will provide assembly tips below.
... They are clinical, industrial, not cozy or homey. In a stainless steel kitchen, perfect. In a typical kitchen, probably ugly. Great for garage, closet, I keep a brushed nickel one in my kitchen.
... One important thing to mention. They're wire, so if you have an appliance, with legs, it can be unstable. For solid objects (pots, pans), it's perfect. I use it as an appliance rack, and have lexan cutouts on the shelves. It lets light through, stands up to heat, looks great. For those not using it in their kitchen, this shouldn't be an issue.
... Instead of using the feet on some shelves, I purchases large wheels from home depot, for mobility in the garage, and they thread in where the adjustment feet normally would go.
... That's it for the review, assembly instructions are below. And remember, before you make a decision on a product based on a review, look at the reviewer. If their reviews tend to vacillate between one star and five stars, "perfect product" and "worst product ever" they might not be the best, reliable source for critical information. It's not fair to you and it's not fair to the manufacturer, that some caustic or unreasonable person should have such an impact on your buying decision. Just because they decimate a product does not mean they are saving you heartache. They may just be reactionary or ignorant. You have to read between the lines.
...
... Assembly: Easy.
... Pitfalls: Not keeping plastic pieces in place while positioning shelf. Not setting plastic pieces at same heights.
... Pluses: No need to measure, just count.
... Count the one-inch lines from bottom, and place plastic pieces around leg. Your first instinct will be to line up the top or bottom of the plastic with the line on the leg, but you'll notice there is a ridge inside the plastic that fits on the indentation line on the leg. This helps keep the plastic from sliding.
... Smart tip: sandwich the two plastic pieces around the leg, smaller side up, and holding firmly, slide plastic down until the ridge clicks into the indent. Now you are at the perfect spot.
... Do the same with all four legs and double check that there are the same amount of lines below each plastic pair. If not, your shelf will pop loose.
... Stand a shelf on it's side, run each leg through until the plastic is inserted in the hole firmly. Rapping with a rubber mallet ($1) will make it firm. Stand it up on it's feet, hold the shelf down firmly, and rap on all four corners until shelf is wedged down tightly.
... Count lines up some more, clip the plastic pieces on, drop another shelf down, taking care to insert each leg gently in shelf, hold shelf down and rap solidly. Repeat until finished.
... When all is assembled, you can go back and rap all shelves for extra tightness. When moving, try and use the legs, rather than the shelf, but if the shelves are tight, they won't loosen without hammering the bottom of the shelf to knock it loose. This is why they use the plastic pieces, because they are soft and provide good grab for the shelf.
Read Best Reviews of Seville Classics 17.5 by 7.5 by 18.5-Inch Shelf Organizer Here
I love these shelves! Just the right size for your kitchen, bath, closet or kid's room for a hamster cage or fish tank. The Mini Metal Shelving 3-Shelves unit is an organizers dream come true.Pro's:
+Each shelf can hold up to 160 pounds once the shelving unit is put together.
+Shelves adjust in 1" intervals for multiple configurations.
+No tools are required for assembly!
+Full assembly from out of box takes approximately 15 minutes or less.
+High quality; nice finish.
Con's:
You may need to cut some shelving to fit so your items (such as books) don't fall through the spaces between the wires. (I use wicker or canvas baskets to contain items to thwart this problem.)
-Price varies widely. I picked up mine for $13 each at my local Target store.
Great item!
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If you expect these chrome shelves to look good in your kitchen or bathroom guess again. I love these shelves however they rusted almost instantly. Very unfortunate because they are stylish and just the right size. I would buy them again if they were rust proofed but until then you are just throwing your money away.
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