SauderCarson Forge Rustic Lift Top Storage Industrial Living Room Table, L: 43.15" x W: 19.45" x H: 18.98, Coffee Oak

First, a little background:For the record, I use the term "extension" to mean the lift-top part. It's really the main reason to get a table like this.So, I had a very specific need for this coffee table. I spend most of my free time in the living room. My TV is connected to my gaming PC, a Mac Mini, PS4 Pro, 4K/Blu-Ray player and a Switch. The problem I was having was with the PC and Mac where the keyboard/mouse required me to lean so far down that I was starting to suffer aches and pains.First of all, this table is (without the extension) higher than a normal coffee table. Even set this way (as you can see in the first picture) it's better than what I was using. I can actually type this review with minimal bending on my part. I'm 51 and any chance to avoid body aches is a bonus!But it really does shine when you extend it. First, my biggest concern was how solid it would be with pressure from daily typing, mousing and even hooking up a Thrustmaster joystick/throttle combo in flight games. It did not disappoint. It didn't move an inch when I was in an intense session of Star Wars: Squadrons. I thought that was pretty amazing.One thing I should mention (and this is a good thing) is that the mechanism that allows you to move the extension from down to up is, well, stiff (hey, no laughing, you). Seriously, though, it takes some effort to move it and that is exactly as it should be. When I was looking for tables like this it was my main concern that it would just fall down when I was doing anything. Not this baby, absolutely not.A couple final notes about building. It took me about 6 hours to complete, but for a couple of reasons.1) There are a lot of parts and turning a screwdriver repeatedly does awful things to people my age. I needed to give my hands a rest.2) I was terrified by the instruction in the manual that was basically "this step requires two people." I live alone (yeah, when you read owner of a PC/Mac/PS4/Switch, I'm sure your first though was -- bachelor!), and in this age of COVID, I'm not sure I could trust strangers to come in to help.Good news: I finished it all on my own! The extension is the tough part, but if you can get one side screwed in, the rest is easy. I didn't want to use power tools, but I did struggle to get those parts in manually, so I used my power screwdriver and it made it so much easier.Finally, I love Sauder, if for no other reason than they have these funny little bits in their manuals like, "Rome wasn't built in a day, but you can do this in a day" or something. Sorry. It was funnier while I was building it.I hope you found this review useful. I don't do them all that often, but this piece impressed me. Cheers!

UPDATE: Okay, I got the missing hardware within a week and was ready to tackle assembly. Here are my recommendations:The parts are well machined and the instructions are excellent. Do not even attempt to assemble this without following the instructions page by page. Be sure you've got all parts needed for a step (they are itemized and you even get a to-size picture of the screws and such). Adjust your attitude so you're thinking you are having a great building adventure and not that you've got to put the *@^#! thing together and you'll be happier. Know that this line of Sauder's furniture is much higher quality than that cheapie stuff you've almost lost your mind over in the past.1. Assemble the sides. Feel good. Take a break.2. Assemble the base up through the bumpers in the top. (My experience here: the moldings were hard to put on by myself. Be sure the screws are screwed down far enough so the screws do not pop out of the tracks when you slide the moldings on.) Feel good. Set your table up where you think you want it and take a good long break. I waited until the next day, and after #3 I'm sure glad I did.3. Tackle the hardest part: affixing the tabletop. (My experience: it says to have help. I didn't. I used an appropriately sized box to hold the tabletop up high enough so I could work on getting the screws aligned with their holes. The first time I did it, I started putting on the tabletop backwards, and it's easy to screw up, so be careful here. It's aggravating enough to do this step without having to undo and redo it.) If I had it to do again, I would have put on the cam covers before I put on the tabletop, because they really need to be tapped with a hammer and that's hard to do when the tabletop is on. Guidance on doing this is the only thing I can think of that would be an improvement over the existing assembly instructions.Two things that will make your job go much more smoothly: a magnetic-head #2 Phillips screwdriver and a small flashlight. One thing I used that you should skip if at all possible: an at-turns curious and whining puppy who insists on climbing on your back while you're trying to put the tabletop on...unless you want to add a good hour or more to the task.SUMMARYI LOVE the table. It is a very efficient use of space. It gives me a coffee table in the living room plus a desk I can use with an office chair we use for extra LR seating or, alternatively, use at the sofa (but the office chair arrangement is more ergonomic). It has good deep storage in the top (15.5"x37"x5") that you can hide when company comes over plus room for books or what-not on the open shelves. The tallest book you can stand up underneath is 8.5", and most of the ones I use are 6x9s; had there been just a half inch more height on the lower shelves, it would have been absolutely perfect for my needs. But it's still pretty darned great. It would have gotten five stars had I not had to wait for hardware.ORIGINAL REVIEW: READ THIS TOO.This is an incomplete review because, after spending a half hour doing a painstaking inventory of all the parts and pieces, I discovered I was missing a washer and a screw. I went to the Sauder web site to report the problem, and ordering the replacement parts was straightforward. An easy-to-use specification form followed this intro:"At Sauder, our furniture business revolves around understanding and addressing our customers' needs. With this in mind, we realize that occasionally mistakes are made. And that is why each new piece of Sauder furniture includes a limited warranty that covers the replacement of furniture components which may be missing or defective."So I take that to mean I will not be charged for the shipment of the two missing parts.Another important reason for doing an inventory is to ensure none of the parts are damaged. Saunder cautions not to assemble the table until you've determined there is no damage. Of course, until I receive the washer and screw, I'm not going to start assembling this table, so I have no way of knowing if the drilled holes are done properly, but the finish was fine and there was no damage to the pieces that would mar the look of the table. The veneer finish is very attractive and, once assembled, I doubt this will look like a pressed-wood product.I am leaving my rating at four stars until I get more into the assembly process. If they ship out the parts promptly so I don't have to wait long, I won't mark off for that. However, if you have a similar experience to mine, with something missing, be aware there is really no point registering your product until you put it together because many of the registration questions address assembly experience.

The table itself is quite nice and easy to assemble. It's very sturdy and can be made more so with a small bead of carpenter's glue along the edges before the cams are tightened. It simulates oak quite well for a table made of particle board.The shipping service, on the other hand, was dismal. The tracking system only provided the most recent scans rather than the full history of the shipment. The terminology used on their website is ambiguous at best and when it finally made it onto a delivery truck a full week and a half after I paid for it, the driver took it back to the warehouse without ever ringing my doorbell, claiming no one was home. BUNK! I was home all day waiting for it. I had to drive down to the warehouse to pick it up myself.I'm very happy with the coffee table, but if any seller tells me they use TForce delivery services, I will cancel the purchase.

As mentioned in other reviews, this took about an hour to assemble (only a screwdriver required - not included). There were a few unclear steps along the way using the IKEA-style instruction booklet, but nothing that couldn't be figured out/corrected with a little deductive reasoning.PROS:-looks great; nice dark cherry finish-unbeatable price-relatively quick assembly; all pieces included as advertised with nothing missing; only tool required is a screwdriver-easy to use after getting used to how the lift-top opens/closes-easily moved/slid around (on flooring and lowpile carpet) for cleaning and vacuuming even with the unit's solid weight-arrived in one box and undamaged (via Canada Post)CONS:-a few instruction steps somewhat unclear and may take some trial and error to figure out for some people-1 or 2 joints/edges are somewhat poorly machined and aren't flush after assembly (none of which are visible during normal use)-lift-top tray feels somewhat delicate/wobbly during movement even with the provided stabilizer bar affixed (but does sit in either resting position securely and properly)Debated taking off 1 star for the following reasons, but decided not to because I think these are only minor flaws with the finished assembly:-two of the joints/edges weren't machined to be 100% flush with the edges they were connecting to (but both are interior spaces and not visible nor do they affect overall utility/appearance of the table. There is a small thin gap in the hollow storage of the table's top compartment along one edge which may result in narrow objects like pins, or thin coasters sliding vertically through onto the shelf below. Nothing major though.-the lift-top mechanism functions well, but one side is a little loose with no way to tighten the mechanism (very minor and hardly noticeable); was a little tricky to secure properly - admittedly this step requires two people (one to hold the tray top while the other secures the mechanisms with the provided screws) and I stubbornly jury-rigged a solution to complete it by myself which may have impacted my ability to secure all screws flush.-opening and closing the lift-top mechanism feels a little delicate and awkward at first, but works well as long as you use two hands to carefully move the tray up and down.-table surface sits at a convenient height/position when opened to comfortably eat a meal on the couch or type/work on a laptop,notebook, etc. The interior storage is awkward to get at if the tray is opening towards your couch/chair (you have to reach around the side or up and over the top to access the storage compartment. I don't fault the table design for this as I don't see any other way to design the mechanism. If the table position is reversed and opens away from your seating position, this compartment is very easily accessible but probably not functional and most people would not choose to position it this way. If this is unclear, you should understand what I mean by looking at photos of the opened tray.-Delivery took a week longer than expected, even with Prime (but this is likely an Amazon issue and not the manufacturer), mentioning this is purely anecdotal.Overall, especially for the pricepoint this is a great table with very little to complain about. |I am very happy with this purchase and would definitely buy again at a ~$200 pricepoint.

Difficult to assemble, instruction sheet very difficult to read (very small print, ink only grey, not black). Design problem — bar which supports lift mechanism makes accessing well under the top impossible while sitting at the front of the table (usual position for having lift top up). So you need to get up, go to other side of table, lift top away from you (very difficult and dangerous), retrieve needed item, lower top (away from you), return to original position and lift top again to continue, then repeat to return item. So the storage are is relatively unusable.

It arrived a month after purchasing. Nothing was damaged althoug when assembling, the screwing process damaged a bit the inside part where you store goods. As its not something you can notice, its not a big deal. The assembly process is a nightmare. However, once assembled, the product is perfect. The lift top is very stable and sturdy: you can lean with no issue. The product as a whole is also very sturdy, not to small, not too big. It is a big darker then on the pictures, but asside of that its exactly as advertized. Id give it a 3 when you consider the delivery and assembly process. But if its just the product (once assembled, its a good 4,8).

It's exactly what I needed and the price was ok, but it is low quality material on the surface. I scratched it a few times putting it together and I was careful not too. It seems to scratch really easy. I half considered giving it a coat of poly to keep it from getting scratched top more. Just not sure how it would handle polyurethane.Other than that it works great. No other complaints.