South Shore Axess 5-Shelf Bookcase - Chocolate

I needed some additional bookshelf space in my office but was on a tight budget. Ordered this bookshelf and I am really happy with it. The royal cherry finish looks nice and matches my old cherry finish bookshelves really well. Assembly was straightforward and all of the hardware was present and accounted for. Everything was properly aligned and straight. I noticed that some other reviewers received damaged pieces, but mine was well-package - the pieces were nestled together just right with cardboard and fiberboard inserts to keep everything sandwiched together tightly, wrapped with plastic wrap to keep the bundle secure, and boxed in strong cardboard with sturdy corner reinforcements throughout. Nothing can guarantee damage-free shipping, but I was impressed with how well it was packaged. The finished unit is sturdy and strong, and it looks great in my office (pictures attached). The only issue I found, and it is minor, is that a few of the board edges aren't 100% smooth. It is not really noticeable unless you get close and look for it, and not enough of an issue to diminish my satisfaction with it.This bookcase definitely met my expectations. No, it isn't real wood, and it isn't top grade furniture. For the price, however, I am completely satisfied. It's strong, looks nice, and the price is right. Thumbs up.

Attractive and easy assembly

Bookshelf arrived in good condition and was well packaged. All pieces fit perfectly and the unit was sturdy when assembled. I would have given it 5 stars except the shelf clips provided are too small and made of skimpy plastic. Over-all, it is worth the money spent.

Great buy for the money. Takes a bit of time to assemble but easy to do so and very sturdy.

Super simple to assemble and still seems sturdy. Im 5' 9" for reference photo. Not a big deal but I would like to have the option for 1 or 2 more shelfs or at least the option to buy some.

I purchased two of these shelves to hold my girlfriend's rather extensive book collection. First of all, I like how large these shelves are. They are relatively easy to construct and I love the brown color. The backing has some noticeable creases, but I was able to cover those by strategic placement of items on the selves. So far, 5 stars.However, for something that is meant to hold books, the shelves start to bend underneath the weight of those books. Rather quickly. The shelves are made of that composite wood material that is compressed together to form a board, which makes them less sturdy than a chunk of actual plywood. If you are looking for shelves to display some fun odds and ends, this would be prefect (assuming you can hide the creases in the back); however, if you are looking for a bookshelf, keep looking. This is not the product you are looking for.I've attached some pictures to try to capture the bending. While you can tell there is some bending in the pictures, I didn't have a long enough straight edge to show the full extent of the issue.

Need two people to put it together but it’s beautiful when it’s set up

I bought six of these for my home library. They came very well packed (one piece of veneer was scraped, but other than that they all arrived perfect). They went together easily. While the instructions said two people were needed, I did it by myself with no problems. The most tedious part of assembly is nailing the back on, but don't skimp on the nails, since it's the back that keeps the case from collapsing if you push on the side. It's also worth investing in a cheap electric screwdriver if you are putting together more than one.So far they are holding up well, with little evidence of sagging, even when fully loaded ... there is _some_ sagging, more on that below.I am a librarian, so I have some idea of the cost of shelving. It is true that these are pressed wood, and that they don't use cam locks like the Hon bookcases I have upstairs in my home, so the screw heads show unless you add the (supplied) covers. One reviewer said they were cheap. I would say that they give value for the cost. A five shelf library-quality shelf would cost almost ten times as much (a similar unit from a major manufacturer costs about $575 dollars). For that you get plywood rather than pressed wood, a nicer laminate, and shelves that adjust in one inch increments. But the shelves still sag if you overload them. I gave these shelves a 5 because of the great cost/benefit ratio.As for the sagging, my solution is to go to the local hardware store and have them cut laminated wood shelving to match the space between the shelves on the bookcase. Install the resulting piece vertically in the center of the case between the shelf that sags and the shelf below and the weight is distributed over two shelves. I've only had to do that for one shelf.