Love these shelves -very sturdy and attractive, and great for my intended purpose (extra kitchen storage).
I just wanted to include this review if you're like me and don't always comprehend assembly instructions the first time you read them. Some of my tips:
1. The "threaded connectors" connect the top pole to the lower pole. My threaded connectors didn't have a groove in the middle (according to the drawing and instructions they were supposed to), so I had to estimate when they were screwed halfway into each pole. Make sure they aren't wobbly when you've screwed the poles together -this means one pole has too much of the connector in it.
2. Don't screw the feet in too tightly when you first put them in, so that you won't have trouble loosening them later when you're leveling the unit.
3. Even though the sleeves look incredibly flimsy, they work. Don't waste time staring at them, wondering how the heck they're going to support 350 pounds.
4. The lip around the edge of the shelves should point downward. Although I thought this was the case from the picture on the website, the drawing in Step 3 is a little confusing.
5. If you're putting together the shelves by yourself, lay the four poles on the ground. Slide the shelf onto the poles, and then put the box in between the bottom and top poles to support the top poles as you slide the shelf toward the feet.
Hope this helps!
These shelves are like many other shelving products I've come across. They assemble by placing plastic cylinders around the vertical poles and then sliding the shelf(s) down upon the plastic cylinders. There is a slight taper to the plastic cylinders and the cylinders on the shelves which slide over them. This squeezes the cylinders tight to the vertical poles and keep the shelves from sliding down the pole.
They say no tools are necessary for assembly and this is true, though I would recommend having a rubber mallet or a hammer and a small block of wood so you can tap the shelves into alignment and definitely if you need to reposition a shelf. A box level could be useful too if you really wanted to try and get everything just right.
The nice thing about these products are they are simple to assemble and the shelf position is very customizable. The bad part is that the shelves are usually somewhat warped. Not so much that it significantly affects the structure, but enough to notice with the naked eye.
I bought two of these and both shipping cartons were fairly banged up, but everything was in relatively good shape and all parts were still in the container. The thing about buying two of these is that if you place them next to each other you may notice that the legs do not appear to be perfectly vertical. Even if you get the shelves level on both units odd are the legs will not be perfectly vertical. Not a big deal if you only have one by itself, but with two next to each other it is somewhat obvious. Just something to consider. Could probably be adjusted and straightened with a bit of labor but it is not a big deal for my intended usage of these shelves.
All in all though it's a good shelf and easy to put together. The black coating makes it look a little less harsh than stainless too.
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I agree with most that has been said before (i.e. sturdy, fairly easy to assemble etc.).
Here's an additional input I haven't seen in a review yet: One reviewer mentions the possibilty to make two smaller units out of one large. True, but...
...WAY more interesting in my eyes is the possibility to combine two 5-shelf-units to one 10-shelf-unit of THREE times the width. Just assemble the whole unit in one shot from the bottom up and install at least two (better three) shelves towards the OUTSIDE, therefore connecting the two units. A word of caution: Be sure beforehand on what heights you want the shelves mounted, since it is almost impossible to correct this later without major disassemby!
You get a three shelves wide unit, obviously with the same number of shelves (10). You do NOT gain shelf space, but you DO gain room for larger items (which this shelving can handle very easily) and one VERY sturdy wall unit. And while you are at it, you might want to explore the 'buy three, make five'-version...
edit: I just uploaded an image to the customer image gallery to illustrate my point. Hope it helps!
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Very impressed with my new shelves. Received very quickly too. They are strong and sturdy, arrived totally in tact. They steadily hold a lot of quantity and weight (350 pounds per shelf). I am using them in my pantry to hold numerous heavy kitchen gadgets with no sway what-so-ever. Assembly instructions were super easy to follow, and I had it assembled in less than 1/2 an hour out of the box. Although no tools are required, I did use a rubber mallet hammer which helped me to solidify the shelves perfectly. I highly recommend these and would buy again in a heartbeat. You'll be glad you purchased.
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I was so happy with this shelf unit that I snapped up what I thought were the same shelves at Target. Although the design was identical, the shelves from Target came with rusted poles and lower quality components. Another tip that I came up with after assembling my third shelf unit:
Tip: Wait until you have assembled the bottom 2 shelves before you attach the upper poles. We had trouble placing the shelf supports at the same level on each pole when dealing with the entire length of the pole. It is MUCH easier to assemble the whole bottom part first, then add the next levels.
Off to clean the garage...
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This shoe holder came with no instructions, but it was pretty easy to set up by looking at the picture. Note: the second shelf from the top has small plastic diagonal pieces that attach to the verticals for extra support) However, it is one of those assemblies where you have to line up all the tubes at once, which requires some patience; A little thought from the designers could have made this a lot easier.
