Review on SAMDI Monitor Stand: Wooden Computer Storage Organizer For Laptop, IMac & Desk (Walnut) by Drake Burroughs

I wanted a shelf for my Fully Jarvis 5-ft. bamboo standing desk to better organize my speakers and laptop. I first saw this option from Samdi while browsing a Chinese ecommerce site, and was impressed with the detailed product photos. I was then pleasantly surprised to find Samdi selling it for cheaper here on Best Buy; though, there were so few ratings, and *no* reviews. Other products by Samdi got a lot of great reviews, and something of this quality was shockingly hard to find below a hundred bucks (or two), so I decided to go for it and to be prepared to return if I wasn't happy.In the end, I'm grateful I did, because I think it's *beautiful*. The shelf is just the right width to fit between the grommets on my desk. I also went for the walnut rather than the bamboo, because I was worried the bamboo would be slightly off in an annoying way from the desktop. Seeing it in person, I think the contrast of the walnut works really well.The parts were well packaged, and assembly was brain-dead simple — I didn't need to read the directions. I loved that the screw holes for the pegs were metal, to prevent stripping — a really thoughtful detail. Took about five minutes to put it all together.The build quality exceeded expectations. Samdi's product shots are actually very accurate — I provided some close-ups of my own here, too. The smooth exposed plywood edges, the sheen of the walnut layers — it feels luxurious. And the plywood striping I think works really well with the Jarvis bamboo desktop grain.Also, I love how the bottom of the legs have a cork padding — and I don't just mean small dot feet; there's a cork pad that runs the full length of the leg, trimmed a couple of millimeters so as to not be visible from most angles. Such great attention to detail.Competition-wise, most things around this price range of $60 (or honestly a little more expensive) and size just weren't my style. Many people are probably wondering how this compares to the much more expensive Grovemade. I don't own one of their shelves, so I can't comment on the quality other than I'm sure Grovemade's quality is super high. But I am pleasantly surprised with how high-quality this shelf feels. Functionally, they're pretty much the same size/shelf area. The biggest functional difference is that the Grovemade has a 12-in. shelf that sits underneath the top shelf. I don't mind that it's missing on the Samdi (I can add something like it myself later), and I actually much prefer that the legs are the same wood, rather than Grovemade's full-cork legs. And at less than a third the price, the Samdi is a no-brainer to me — and I prefer the styling, anyway.Overall, I think this is a gorgeous desk shelf that I consider a highlight of my home office. And the price when compared to what I could find otherwise feels like a steal. I'm elated with it. I'll make sure to update in time to see how the quality endures. Thanks for reading this far!