Altra 9417196 Shaker Bookcase, Wenge

I rarely write any reviews, because what I get is usually within the range of what I expected. But I really feel obliged to warn anyone who is considering this product.

First of all, it's of EXTREMELY poor quality. When I received the package, the 2 main long frames are already broken in half. I thought it's just an accident, so I pack the whole thing back to the box and return it to Amazon. (Thankfully Amazon offer free shipping and pick up, otherwise it would have been a lot of hassle as it's a heavy package.) After a week, when I receive the second package, the main frames (both of them) are having very obvious cracks in the middle, it's like it's going to break in half any minute. So it's really because of the poor quality of the wood (it's all of synthetic junk, not real wood) instead of mis-handling. But I am really tired of shipping it back and waiting another week, so I decided to accept it and handle it with care. During assembly, the iron screws broke in half just by me twisting it using normal strength (I am a girl), and more than 1 screws broke, so again, I know it's because the nails are too fragile.

After all the careful handling, I finally put the whole thing together. Then I realize, it doesn't stand up straight against the wall! I checked my assembly again and am sure I have done nothing wrong. From the product picture, I thought one side of the shelf should be straight, but in fact, both sides are tilting inward, so there is a huge gap between the wall and the shelf!

I can't express how frustrated I was with this piece of crap. I either need to disemble the whole thing and put it into the box and mail it back again, or accept the ugly thing as it is (plus the poor quality it has, I am sure it won't last for more than a year). I ended up getting lazy and too frustrated to touch it, and kept it. But I most certainly regret buying it in the first place.

No matter what you buy, don't buy this one!

I purchased three of units for use in a home office. The packaging of the flat-packs was outstanding; box within a box and lots of support. The finish on the units was good (a few flaws, but minor). Assembly was simple and quick; glue in dowels, a few screws, and some camlocks about 30 minutes per unit. The shelves are pressed wood, but are a full 1 inch in thickness. The documentation limits weight to 25 pounds per shelf. All and all, the units appeared to be just what I had expected.

The odd thing I want to share is that the units are tappered. The side rails are wider at the bottom then at the top by about 4 inches. The result, which came as a bit of a suprise to me, is that the units do not sit flat to the wall. Placed against a wall, there is a gap of 2 inches between the back top of the unit and the wall. In my case, I was putting two units back-to-back which results in a 4 inch gap.

For my application, the gaps were not a significant problem, but did come as a suprise. I could see the resulting gap being a consideration in other situations. This is the first time I had run across a free-standing shelf unit that was not flat to the wall and wanted to pass this along to other potential purchasers.

I'm satisfied with the quality and size of the units and they were a good buy at the price.

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The product was shipped to me with 2 broken pieces maybe not their fault. However, I had to wait nearly 6 weeks for a replacement part. Not the easiest thing to do when you have a NY apartment and little to no storage (especially when you are buying a device that is supposed to assist in that fact).

They called this a "specialty part" when I asked why it took so long my response is that it is the side of a pre-fabricated shelf, how specialty can it be?

I won't purchase from this company again.

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Love it, looks just as pictured. Was a little confused when putting together, but all worked out right. Great addition to my home.

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I have been looking all over for a ladder-style non-leaning bookshelf for our future baby room. I thought I was in luck when I found the Ameriwood Mission Shaker, as it had the ladder style with the stability of four legs. I took a chance even though it was made of wood composite normally I try to find products made entirely out of hard wood for durability, but I do have other furniture made out of composite that has withstood the test of time so I figured this bookshelf would be no different.

The bookshelf arrived with no apparent damage to the package; however, as I began to unpack the pieces I realized that one of the side pieces was completely broken in half on both legs. The only thing holding the legs together was the laminate, which by the way was the worst sort of wood laminate I think I've seen in years...reminded me of the bookshelves my Mom had back in the 70's. I'm not entirely sure how the legs would have broke, as there was no apparent damage to the package, which leads me to believe the shelf unit was made from the cheapest wood composite available guess that explains why it was so affordable...save for the $40 shipping charges. OUCH!

Fortunately, the return process through Amazon was quick and easy, and all we had to do was box the shelf unit back up and put it on the porch with a return label. Thanks Amazon!

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