Review on Amazon Basics Modern 5-Tier Ladder Bookshelf Organizer, Solid Rubberwood Frame - Espresso Finish by Robert Rick

Overall we liked this shelf, and we will probably get more of them when the need arises. i will agree with the reviews saying its a bit of a pain to put together, but it wasnt unmanageable. i put it together alone in maybe an hour and a half? and im your average person, ive put together these kinds of things before but im no expert. just take your time and read really closely and take the tips the reviewers here have about doing step 3 first. it really does work out better, and itll save you some frustration. aside from that seriously READ. CAREFULLY. really look at the photos, note the orientation of the pieces in the photos. its not always super clear, but if you slow down you should be alright.i will say, if you have hand strength issues, this is going to be a challenge for you. there are screws in step 3 that go all the way up each side of the shelf that are sort of a cam screw? ish? but you have to do them by hand, they cant be done with any kind of tool, and they are a beast to get in. the holes for them are just barely big enough, so you have to exert a ton of force to get them in and do it a dozen or so times all told. so get help with that part, or just take breaks between doing them.theres one more important tip- when you mount the shelves, as another person pointed out there will be a correct way to mount them and a wrong way. if you do it the wrong way, you later on wont have screw holes for your brackets. the manual doesnt make any note of this, but if you just keep an eye out and look closely to find the little screw holes (they're teeny and easy to miss) and remember to have those facing towards to front of the shelf, youll be good.the only really huge frustration for us were the small blocks they give you to put on the base for if its free standing, those things were so incredibly infuriating. for some reason it was a huge struggle to get them on, even with a power drill. it was honestly the most irritating part of the whole process, that last ten minutes to do 2 pieces of wood. i did have one shelf split when attaching it to the frame which stinks, since it was a predrilled hole and right in the front, but it was only the one shelf. the rest of it came free of ding scratches etc, so it still looks pretty nice. i dislike that all of the screws and bits are mingled together so it not sorted nicely, but it just means you need to set aside a few minutes to sort them into neat piles yourself. all in all for the price, it was worth the work for us.