This shelving unit is made out of layered paper, similar to cardboard (but obviously way stronger). I wrote this rather lengthy review to give people an idea of what to expect, as well as to dismiss some of the "myths" from some other reviews.
Pros:
Very strong. This unit holds a full row of college textbooks and does not bow, as long as you keep the inserts in the middle. If you take out those inserts, you will notice some slight bowing. I have had my unit with the inserts in for a little over a year now and the panels have not bowed or deteriorated under stress in any way. So you can be pretty sure that these panels are quite strong. Stronger than particle board? Well, the only way you could probably find out is to take a sledgehammer to it. But the panels that are used on this thing are twice as thick as conventional particle board shelving, and I have other shelves where the particle board panels have bowed under similar weights. So this unit is actually a lot stronger than most conventional wood units.
Relatively easy to put together. Yes, if you are not careful, you can screw it up. But you do get a couple of tries if you are careful when taking them apart after making a mistake. I don't see a lot of complaints about people messing up the assembly though; in fact, quite the contrary. I am a fairly precise person, so it was no sweat for me.
Light weight. The description says that it's about 60% the weight of particle board. It feels even less than that. One of the reasons why I bought this was because I am not very strong, and I knew that I might have to carry this thing fully assembled up and down multiple flights of stairs when I bought a new home. I just moved into my new house last month and it was such a breeze because the thing is so light. I can lift the entire unit with one arm and not break a sweat.
Cons:
Surface damage. In particular, the corners are most susceptible to damage. This should be pretty obvious to most people since it is made of paper, but since the surface layer does not wrap around the corners it is possible for them to be scuffed up when hit. This should not be a problem with most people, and wasn't a problem for me either until the moving company people hauled it up the stairs and banged it up a little. Also, if someone is not careful with the vacuum cleaner, they could hit it and scratch it a little. On the other hand, I should say that it is easy to touch up so that you would not notice it. If the outer layer gets messed up a little and the inner white paper is exposed, you can use a dark marker on it (black or espresso colored units). You may not even notice with the white and beige colors. The flat surfaces (not corners) tend to resist damage fairly well. I don't go trying to intentionally scratch the surface, but I have put ceramics on them and they seem pretty durable. All of the flat surfaces on my unit are still pristine.
So basically this is a very light, very strong unit with some minor surface issues that stem from its paper construction. Overall I would recommend this item, as long as your family members are not inclined to abusing your furniture.
Finally, I see some people who claim that this unit collapsed within 24 hours. Honestly, I simply do not see how that is possible UNLESS the person did not put it together properly. If you follow all of the instructions (longer pieces rest on top of shorter pieces, backboard attached to back), I can't imagine how it is possible for this unit to collapse on its own. I have had about 50lbs worth of books on this thing (not counting the bottom shelf) 24 hours a day for over a year, and the thing is still just as sturdy as ever after surviving the moving company hauling it down three flights of stairs and up one. So as to people who are worried about "collapse", I can tell you that this thing is pretty safe. I mea, I guess it's possible that some people received defective units, but these are probably rare cases. Both my units (this one and a smaller one) have survived the move and show no signs of deterioration at all.
It's pretty flimsy, you are literally sticky pasting the pieces together. I use it for DVDs. Initially I had cookbooks on it but the boards were sagging under the weight. If you are looking for something high quality/sturdy this is definitely not for you.
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This bookcase sounds good and looks good but in reality it was terrible and didn't last 24 hours the first time around. We followed the easy instructions to the letter but after waiting the proper time to set and actually placed items on it, it collapsed and broke within 24 hours. Amazon replaced it only for it to collapse again within 48 hours spooking my son in the middle of the night.
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I have to add my kudos along with the other posters to Way Basics for making a product that is easy to put together AND flexible in design. In this set you are given four horizonal-use boards and nine vertical support boards. Yes, you can quickly put it together the way they suggest, but you can also, say, inset the vertical supports four inches or so in on the top and bottom level and come up with a different look! My one suggestion, though, if you are going to play around with the lay out: set everything out on the floor as if the unit was laying flat on its 'back' (the boards are thick enough to 'stand' on their narrow width) to make sure a)you like the pattern you are planning and b)you have all the pieces for the pattern you are planning. Because once you've pulled back the covering for the adhesive and 'stuck' it, you're pretty much set with where it is. (fortunately not a problem I ran into, although I was working to make two non standard units out of four sets).
I'd also strongly suggest putting it together in the room you are going to use it unless you have the space to leave it where you've built it for 24 hours to set (heavy books on top apparently help this).
All in all a great product, I'd give it a five but there were some dings and slightly warped/crumpled edges (inside a pristine box) which were only noticeable when you're right on top of the piece, which of course you are when you set it up.
Off to order another unit for my son's room. Love this product!
added 11/09: You've GOT to use the backer board or your unit isn't going to be stable. I sent a picture of my 'design' to way basics and they shot me an email back letting me know how very important this is! And you really need to make sure you put weight on the top when you're done and let it 'set overnight' for the glue to 'take'.
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This is a piece of junk. No screws to hold it together, only sticky tape! I was shocked at quality being even lower than I expected. It could not be worse quality without being made of cardboard. The box it came in is sturdier than the bookcase. Get yourself a good cardboard box and save the money.
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