Review on Badger Basket Barrel Top Espresso by Diana Mitchell

I wanted something stylish to match the inexpensive but stylish Ashley class tables in our living room. I also have a Badger bassinet and I find that they are on par with Ashley or Sauder in design and quality. After looking around and deciding that most of the other competitors have espresso boxes that look like giant MDF bread bins, I went with this one because of the style - barrel top plus raised sides. My kids already have toy boxes in their rooms that look 'funny', one 'Disney Princess' box is from Delta and the other is multicolored from Fa Hui Wooden Products with some pictures of different nursery vehicles. None of these have cost me more than $30 and these are the types of boxes that kids put stickers on, paint with markers etc. I know the price of wood and I wasn't expecting solid oak but for the price of this box, I expected it to be stronger/better built than the other two drawers. It is not so. The hinge mount allows significant effort to tighten the screws on the back of the box. The spring lid device that is standard on all three boxes just doesn't work on this box. When the lid is open you can feel the strain on the hinges, when the lid is "closed" there is actually a 1/4 gap. Mine is easy to assemble, but either because of the joinery of the sides or the alignment of the hinges, when closed the lid sags 1/4 inch on one side and is too short on the other - good thing it actually isn't so is. leaned on the box. Well, that's fine until you, the kid, climb it - which you will - and then the fancy barrel lid, not supported by the frame of the crate, will collapse. The entire bottom of the box is thin fibreboard that fits into slots cut in the sides, front and back and is supported by two pressed board supports in the centre. If your child decides to climb into the box, which they do, expect the bottom to snap like a branch. Even the structural strength of the side panels, front and rear isn't impressive as the raised panels are nothing more than a very light 1/8" thick "hard plate" that has no structural strength whatsoever. This thing literally goes to pieces if you give it a reasonably angry kick from a kid throwing a tantrum - yes if your kids are like mine they will too.What I can't believe is this gets an average rating of almost 4 Stars.Maybe if you want to decorate a baby room and plan to declutter it when you get rid of the matching diaper table.But if you want an "adult" style toy box with this design is the best solution I'm afraid Probably he gets a storage box in the shape of a bench as they are designed for real use.