Review on ClosetMaid 8991 Stackable 1-Door Organizer, Espresso by James Wilson

I just received and assembled this item. At the time, I paid a premium to get the color I wanted (dark cherry) but that was my choice. It was also my choice to buy this item in spite of the many poor ratings here. I gambled and think I pretty much got what I was expecting.This entire cabinet is made of 1/2” thick particle board (not MDF), and the back is the usual heavy cardboard of assemble-it-yourself furniture. When I unpacked it, I found the finish scuffed on several pieces, with the worst spot being, of course, on the top of the cabinet. The parts are packed face to face with no padding, so this shouldn't come as a surprise. A furniture finish touch-up pen might help fix that. When I assembled the piece, I found that the provided screws actually bowed the particle board out where the screws go into it, but they did hold. The instructions warn not to use power tools to assemble, and they are right. You would just tear this thing up if you did. Use a manual screwdriver. Also, be very careful when nailing the cardboard onto the back. It would be easy to have a nail come out the side if you don't nail in the center of the board.When I first put the cabinet in place, I wondered why it kept leaning forward, then realized that it was because the open doors were heavy enough to tip the empty cabinet forward. Included with the cabinet is a plastic bracket to tie it to a wall. Since it is so shallow, this is a pretty good idea, particularly if you have kids. I'm using the cabinet to store office supplies, so I put a few heavier packages of paper on the bottom shelf and that seems to have weighted it down sufficiently. Apparently you are supposed to be able to stack two units together, but you won't catch me doing that. You won't want to put anything really heavy on the 1/2” thick particle board shelves. Since I just put it together I have no idea how long the cabinet will last, but since I am not intending to put anything heavy in it or on it, and won't be opening or closing the doors very often, I suspect it will fulfil my needs. I only intend to use it for as long as it takes me to build something myself, but sometimes I'm not so timely with building stuff.If you take your time assembling the cabinet and accept the fact that you are not buying an heirloom, this may work for you. If you don't look too closely, it looks pretty nice (once you fix the scuffs). I would not expect it to hold up well with any kind of rough or heavy usage, but your mileage may vary.