This media stand has incredible storage capacity without hogging an entire wall of your room. It's a quality product, made of sturdy wood that I'm confident will have no issues supporting a media collection, books, or any other odds and ends you may choose to put on the shelves.
It takes up about as much space as a 5-foot-tall person would if you put a box around them and is suprisingly easy to assemble: there are a total of 12 pieces, not including screws, and all you need is a philips screwdriver and a hammer (hammer use is minimal, and mindless). Once it's assembled, it's relatively easy to lift (the boxes it comes in are HEAVY one is 70 lbs; the second is smaller, but awkward to lift). The pieces are nicely labeled as being part of Box A or Box B, and are so easy to identify that there's no risk that you'll mistake one component for another.
As someone else mentioned, be ready to spend some time cleaning off the sawdust that coats the packaging it took me more time to clean off the assembled unit and shelves than it did to put it together.
Storage capacity (MAX):
26 CDs per shelf; max of 10 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with CDs, you could fit 26 x 10 x 4 = 1,040 CDs)
18 DVDs per shelf; max of 7 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with DVDs, you could fit 18 x 7 x 4 = 504 DVDs)
22 Blu-rays per shelf; max of 8 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with Blu-rays, you could fit 22 x 8 x 4 = 704 Blu-rays)
Note: The above numbers assume that you're using basic CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays (no box sets, etc.). Keep this in mind when figuring out whether or not this will be large enough to hold you current (and future) collection.
Or, you can be like me and mix and match the above. I also have every intention of buying a second one of these to store my library of paper-back books :)
*UPDATE*
I did end up purchasing not just one, but two more of these units. They're fantastic at supporting books of all sizes, though the mass media paperbacks are definitely the most aesthetically pleasing fit: they end up inset about an inch from the edge of the shelves, so factor in the depth of the book when deciding whether or not you're comfortable with the "look" of books extending past the depth of the unit.
For quantities (based on your typical 200-300 page mass-market paperpack):
~10 Books per shelf; max of 7 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with mass-market paperback books, you could fit 10 x 7 x 4 = 280 Books)
I'm personally alright with the "look" of the larger books on the shelves and can happily confirm that the shelves easily support my college text books (including the huge accounting and tax reference books I've accumulated).
I will warn that when you're filling these units with whatever media/books/items you choose, be careful to distribute the weight evenly (e.g. fill opposite sides at the same time; make sure that you distribute the weight across the top and bottom of the shelves). The reason isn't that the unit won't support the weight, but when you go to turn it on the lazy susan, there's a risk that it can tip over if you only fill one side (or especially two adjacent sides) while leaving the rest of the unit empty.
I was somewhat apprehensive before puying this product, because I wasn't sure how difficult it would be to assemble it. Although the boxes were very heavy, the assembly job turned out to be very manageable. Instructions were good and I was able to complete the whole assembly job within 45 minutes, with very minor help from my wife.
What I like about this CD-rack is that it allows for very dense CD storage about 1000 CDs in a footprint of 18"x18". It also looks like furniture and blends in well with other furniture.
If you have a lot of CDs, DVDs and Videotapes languishing in various places, I'd highly recommend it.
Buy Prepac Four Sided Media Storage Spinner-1060cds Now
Awesome product. I have almost 400 dvds in my collection and i still have lots og room for more. Withthe extra room, I am storing old VHS Tapes and Video games. Its very convenient because it is so small in width and it rotates, so you can holddvds on eachside. It isvey tall though, about 65 inches. Thats not a problemnless your a pygmy though. Definitely reccomend.
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Once you get past the hurdle of assembling this four-sided spinning tower, you'll be very glad you bought this product. It is relatively attractive compared to other media storage racks for sale and it does spin rather well even when loaded to capacity. I am amazed at how little space it actually takes up in order to hold so much media.
Moreover, the shelves are adjustable so you can choose to use this to store just CDs, just DVDs, just VHS tapes or whatever. You can also adjust the shelves so that part of the tower stores one type of media while the other sections store other types of media.
If you are not mechanically inclined I recommend you get a friend or even a handyman to help you. I had a handyman help me because I am "all thumbs." SMILE He made faster progress after I suggested that we stop reading the cryptic directions and just follow our instincts about how it should be assembled. The directions are rather vague.
The shipping charges are high (about 70 dollars for UPS Ground when I bought it on Amazon) and it is heavy but it's still worth it. In order to hold over a thousand CDs or many, many DVDs you need a very large storage rack or tower. That results in higher shipping charges and a heavier storage rack. Nevertheless, it's a miracle the manufacturers could design it to take so little space!
The instructions are vague and therefore I can only give this product four stars. The manufacturer needs to write clear directions so that anyone can assemble this tower.
Overall, I recommend this four-sided spinning tower as a great way to store media including CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes and more. It costs a little more with the shipping charge but it's worth it. It does look like furniture and this is a must for those of us who have large collections of CDs, DVDs and/or VHS tapes.
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I was preparing to purchase a wall CD storage unit when I came across this revolving one. I feel very fortunate that I did so because the wall unit I was about to purchase took up about 6-7 feet of wall space for about 1000 CD's. By contrast, this unit makes CONSIDERABLY more efficient use of available space, occupying only 18 inches of wall space but with only a slightly deeper footprint than the wall unit.
The unit is very attractive, with an appearance of real wood even though it is made of composite particle board. Some may have a problem with the fact that it is particle board but as long as you know both its advantages and disadvantages, it can provide a durable, long lasting, efficient and attractive storage. I have particle board bookcases which have lasted decades without problems.
First of all, the PROS of particle board are:
Attractive Real Wood Appearance
Durable and Long Lasting if Used Properly
Cost Effective Much Less Expensive Than Real Wood
Can Be Disassembled and Easily Packaged in Smaller Units For Shipping Compared to Real Wood Which Usually Cannot Be.
CONS are:
Usually is Extremely Heavy, Much More So Than Wood. For This Reason it is Often Difficult if Not Impossible to Move Once Assembled.
Particle Board Materials Can Be Easily Damaged if Not Handled Properly. Screws Which Anchor in the Wood Can Easily be Pulled Free if Wrong Type of Pressure is Applied.
The unit is shipped in two boxes, with the longer side panels in one box and the shorter shelves, base unit, tops/bottoms and hardware are shipped in a smaller box. Each box is QUITE heavy and the longer box really requires two people to handle it properly if you need to move it some distance.
The storage unit itself requires assembly so if you are not handy with tools or don't like assembling items such as this, it may not be the unit for you (unless you have access to someone who can do it for you). Furthermore, even once you remove all of the components from the boxes, it really works best to have two people (or even more) assist in assembling the item due to its weight and unusual shape.
I was able to assemble it in about 2 hours by myself and I consider myself handy with tools. The assembly was problematic however because I found the instructions to be quite inadequate. As a result, I ended up with some damage to the unit. Fortunately, I was able to repair most of it by drilling some additional holes and the unit was left with only some minor cosmetic damage.
The instructions have 12 steps however the instructions for the most important step (Step 11) were COMPLETELY OMITTED in my sheet, due to an obvious printing error. The unit is assembled upside down to permit the assembly of the turntable base (which ends up on top). Once the sides and the base are assembled, the unit must be rotated (flipped) 180 degrees so that the base ends up on the bottom. This is the most important part of the assembly and unfortunately, step 11 of the instructions which tells how to do it is missing. The steps go from 1-10 then to step 12!
One of the biggest problems with particle board, as I mentioned earlier is that screw anchors can easily be pulled from their seat in the composite (particle) material if too much of a "pulling" force is exerted on them. Rotating ("flipping") the unit so that the top becomes the bottom can easily create exactly this wrong type of force on the screw anchors (particularly since there are only one per panel joint) and in my case, pulled some of them out of the particle board. If this damage cannot be repaired (as is often the case with particle board) you can be left with a compromised or even unusable unit.
Fortunately, I was able to repair most of my damage by drilling new holes in the sides, which created NEW screw anchors. This left me with only one shelf that I wasn't able to place exactly where I wanted it to be, not a major problem at all. The remaining damage was minor cosmetic damage.
The missing step, step 11 of the instructions is the one which addressed how to make that "flip" of the unit and presumably explained how to do it without damaging the unit. This is also the step that it is advisable to have at least two people available to perform. I finally figured out that the "flip" can be completed safely by CAREFULLY laying the unit on its side, adding the top at that point to complete the assembly process then CAREFULLY finish the flip.
The turntable assembly which allows the unit to rotate is another key weakness in the product in my opinion. It is hard plastic (instead of metal) which seems to me will be easier to break. Since this is the main load bearing component of the unit, it is going to get a lot of stress. I have a concern that after a few years of usage, that plastic turntable is likely to break from the load it will be regularly receiving. It could surprise me however and last quite a while without incident. Still, I am contacting the manufacturer to get a spare turntable to have on hand in the event the main one does break.
One last comment about the quality of the unit is that when assembling each side panel, there is only ONE 2 inch screw per panel! I think this is totally inadequate. These panels are 5' or so long and having only one screw securing them to each other is simply not sufficient in my opinion. It seems as if the manufacturer wanted to get away with the bare minimum of assembly hardware.
Having only one screw per panel means that the unit can be easily damaged during the assembly process (this causes the side panels to flop around easily until they are better secured by adding the base and eventually the top). Adding the base and top does add some rigidity to the unit however, and apparently the manufacturer considers this to be adequate for the life of the product.
It may in fact very well be but I prefer to have the side panels secured better. Fortunately this can be easily done by getting some more 2" screws from the hardware, drilling some additional holes in the side panels where they butt against each other and adding the extra screws. Adding two more screws per panel (one halfway between the center screw and the top and the other, half way between the center screw and the bottom) will give you a more secure structure (3 screws per panel now) and you can add even more if you wish. I am going to go ahead and add 2 per panel to mine after the fact. Not only will this provide a more secure overall structure, the additional anchor points should also lessen the possibility of the side panels warping over time.
One last point is that particle board shelves (30" to 36" or longer) tend to "sag" if being used with a load on them for an extended number of years. This sag can often be corrected in most cases by simply "flipping" the shelf so that the sag now becomes an upward "bow" and which over time should return the shelf to a normal, flat shelf again. The individual shelves in this unit are much shorter, only about 11" so they shouldn't experience any "sag" problems over time.
I have subtracted 1 star from my overall review for the deficiencies which I have already noted, i.e. the lack of sufficient screw anchor points on the side panels, the inadequacy of the instructions and the plastic turntable (instead of metal). Were it not for these 3 areas which I consider weak, I would have given the product 5 stars. Even at that, I like the design of the unit so much that I have purchased a second one, which sits right next to my first one. The second one was much easier to assemble (and I was able to do it without ANY of the damage I had incurred damage while assembling the first one) since by then I had the experience of having assembled the first one. Mine are both the "Expresso" finish and they look great!
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I was looking for some storage solutions for my entrance. I bought the 24" deep shelving so that I could use Rubbermade Roughtotes lengthwise. They are so easy to assemble, and you can put them together in different sections. I even joined them to make a long unit. By adding more sections of poles I made one end higher due to my slanted ceiling. You can get accessories to go with this type of shelving. The possibilites are endless. I ended up getting more units for the basement.
