The positives:
Price - good price for a solid wood table
Delivery speed - small delay, but still within a week
Fit our needs - we wanted something that could comfortably fit 4 for dining, be used for games nights and extend for when we have company
The negatives:
Finish - the stain on this table is much darker and 'dirtier' than on the promotional images, it also comes off on your hands, tools, rugs, carpets, anything this table touches. The table surface is very rough to the touch; be prepared to sand and wax or varnish this table to avoid snags.
Craftmanship - the indents in the legs are laughably off-set (see photo 2). Each side is totally different and this is made all the more obvious by the horrible stain that has been applied to the table. If I had possessed the time and energy I would have re-done each leg so that they were smart and even, but after realising how much work I needed to put in to finish the table I simply couldn't be bothered. In addition, many of the guide holes for the clasps simply weren't there and some of the supplied dowels were a little too large to fit easily. The instructions tell you not to use power tools; you'd be mad not to.
Quality - there were scratches and marks all over the wood. Fortunately, because I decided to sand the table and varnish using a 'medium oak' tinted product you can barely see any of these unless you know where to look.
Packaging - I would have been tempted to return the table had I not had to demolish the boxes just to look at the product (see photo 1). Due to being hot-glued, the cardboard failed before the glue joints did, meaning you will be forced to destroy the packaging to open it. No packaging = no returns.
In conclusion; you get what you pay for. If this table lasts us a couple of years I'll be happy enough. I didn't hate having to finish it myself (though it would have saved me an additional £30 in materials), but would have much preferred to deal with a raw pine to the terrible stain that had been applied and rubbed off on EVERYTHING.
See photo 3 for our version of this table in a medium oak matt varnish. Even though I sanded with 120 grit paper and put on 2 coats of varnish it still feels a little rough to the touch. I expect I will be revisiting this table for further work in the future, but it will do for now.
2/5
