This prefabricated, 5 drawer dresser looks good, made with pressed board and veneer finish ("laminated particle panels"). It is "flexible" because it fits well with most furniture that you have in your house. It is very functional for storing my running gear. I am not a gear-head, but any runner will tell you that a variety of clothing, watches, id wrist bands, shoes, hats, and gloves is necessary for high mileage training and distance racing. The South Shore Flexible Collection Chest Black Oak, has a very solid construction and is quite heavy and stable on its 4 polished steel "feet." The 5 drawers inside are spacious measuring inside 27 ¾ inches wide, 13 ¾ inches front to back and 5 ½ inches high. Each drawer holds a good amount of running gear. Five drawers make the dresser good for separation of categories of content.The dresser comes in a single box that is very heavy (110 pounds). The UPS man left the box at my side door at my request before I considered its weight. I got it into the house by flipping it slowly through the door. Then, I walked it side to side into the living room. Keep the weight in mind when having the box delivered. Using a hand-truck would be a good idea.
I have put prefab furniture together in the past (desks, computer stations, bookcases) so I know the types of tasks required for assembly. The South Shore dresser requires a Phillips screw driver, hammer, and Allen wrench. I did not have to use the last tool on the list. The instructions are simple drawings with minimal written guidance. I do have experience with building the many joints and stabilizers that made construction easy, but you do not need experience to put it all together. The instructions state that two people are necessary to assemble, but I only found one step that required some ingenuity so that one person could put it together. The drawer backs need to be held against the drawer sides, and it would be helpful to have someone hold the backs for you while you fasten them into the sides. A simple trick is to put screws into one end of the back leaving them halfway out. Then, you can balance one end of the back on a side while you fasten the other end to a side. Next, remove the jutting screws and fasten the unfinished end. All of the prefab fixtures and holes were in perfect position for successful assembly. After assembly, all of the pieces of the entire unit were properly placed with easy sliding, well-fitting drawers. This is an excellent product.
The Big Box
First off, I hope you are either the Incredible Hulk or friends with someone who resembles him, because this thing is super heavy when it arrives in the box. How heavy? I could barely push it up the stairs to my place, and that was with my daughter's help. I couldn't have done it alone. And that was sliding it. Forget about lifting it.
The Instructions
No real surprise here. The instructions are just good enough, but not stellar. A few times I had to re-read a section a few times, look at the drawing, look at the parts, and ponder. There was also a different part number on some of the brackets than in the instructions, so that added a dash of confusion.
Square Drive Screws?!?
Now I'm fortunate enough to have a pretty good set of tools, but not everyone is. You likely have the standard screw driver, Phillips head screw driver, and hammer you'll need, but not many people have a good set of square head screw drivers. You'll need one, and you'll need the right size. Why on earth they included these odd ball screws is beyond me, Phillips head would have been fine. Let me add that while the instructions say not to use a power screw driver, this project will take you a looooong time to complete without one.
Time Time Time
Even with the power driver, and even with the experience of having built a similar dresser before, it took me 2.5 hours beginning to end to build this puppy. That's without a break. If you have no experience, even assuming you have all the right tools, you're probably looking at 3-4 hours assembly time.
The Final Product
Here is where the thing redeems itself. It does look pretty good when it's done. Just be careful not to chip the thin veneer black finish. If you do, you can try to fix it with a Sharpie King Size Permanent Marker (15101PP). When it was done, one drawer was not closing completely flush, but I'll fuss with that tonight and see if I can fix it. Otherwise it looks pretty sharp.
Conclusion
It's heavy, it's a pain to build, but it looks good when it's done. If you can afford something better, buy it. But if you're cheap like me or just don't have the bucks, this is a nice big dresser for a reasonable price. Make sure you have all the tools you need, and good luck to you.
Buy South Shore Flexible Collection Chest, Black Oak Now
I have to admit my disappointment in this chest of drawers. It is made of low quality materials which are difficult to work with and lead to an unimpressive piece of furniture. I would not recommend putting anything heavy in the drawers. Although I am not a handy man by any means, I have put together several pieces of furniture but have worked with none that required as much work, took so much time and ended with such a shoddy product. Perhaps a skilled craftsman with low expectations would find this to be a worthwhile project but someone with lower skills or higher expectations should avoid this item.Read Best Reviews of South Shore Flexible Collection Chest, Black Oak Here
I purchased this item for my bedroom. Started putting it together, got to the drawers and found the side panels drilled wrong and the slides do not line up to the holes (looks like I will have to modify). Other than that seems to be good construction and good looks.Want South Shore Flexible Collection Chest, Black Oak Discount?
No comments:
Post a Comment