Atlantic Oskar Adjustable Media Cabinet - Holds 1080 Cds, 504 DVDs or 576 Blu-Rays/Games, 30 Adjustable and 6 Fixed Shelves PN38435714 in Espresso

Here is a guide to fixing the assembly problem so many reviews mention, and at the same time, make your shelving unit much stronger…all it takes is $7 and a trip to Home Depot. Start by going to Home Depot and buying a sheet of 1/8” x 4’ x 8’ hardboard, currently selling for under $7. They will even cut it to size for you, ask them to make it 40” x 71”. Next, assemble your shelving unit so it is face down, working from top to bottom, leaving off the base board that is deeper than the other boards. Make sure to flip the order of the vertical boards as shown in the instructions and have the unfinished edges facing up. As other reviewers have said, don’t overtighten the screws, and use wood glue to help secure the dowels. Use the holes in the unattached base board as a guide to ensure the bottom boards are properly aligned before nailing down the hardboard backing. Then place your hardboard, shiny side down, on the partially assembled frame…it should line up flush on the sides, and be about ¼” from the top. Draw nailing guide lines on the hardboard 13-3/8” from each side, and one centered on the middle horizontal board. Nail down the top half first, checking to make sure the backing stays aligned with the frame as you do so. Then recheck the alignment of the bottom half using the base board holes, before nailing down the bottom half. Your almost finished shelving unit will now be very sturdy, and you can raise it so it is resting on one side without fear of the top and bottom sections breaking apart. You can now attach the base board to the frame and nail the hard board to the base board as it sits on its side. The finished unit is now much more sturdy and can be safely carried upright or sideways to its desired location. With this modification, I really like this unit, as it doesn't take up much space, while providing a bunch of media storage - all at a relatively low price. And don't let the brown-looking photos fool you, espresso is basically black...Read more

Brief- I recommend this product for many reasons detailed below. Just wrote a longer review so people know what they are getting and getting into. I had assembled a couple similar ones in the past but it was long enough ago that I had to re-learn some lessons. Keep reading and it will save you time and (maybe) trouble.Long:Assuming you already bought this then read before assembling. If you haven't yet then there are a few things you would want to know prior to purchase.First -- For those who are about to build the unit:In step 4 they indicate not to overtighten the wood screws (T). As the unit is made of particle board, overtightening the screws might cause the wood to split. This is potentially a cosmetic problem but not a major issue.What the instructions FAIL TO MENTION is that in step 3 it is CRUCIAL not to overtighten the part "P" bolts. The fitting into which they insert is plastic while the bolts are metal. Years back, similar products used a metal fitting, but no longer. Therefore if you tighten the bolt it will continue to screw into the fitting and leave an insufficient amount of length for part "R" to clamp to. If you make this error it is easy to fix by backing "R" out a bit. Best practice if not in a well lit room is to tighten R using a flashlight to see the residual air gap between it and the board. Once this is no longer visible STOP. Tolerances are very tight and any further will lead to the unit being unstable as these joints will separate when under any strain.The other tip is to have an assistant available for at least 5 minutes at the end of the assembly process with a work-around indicated in the text below if you do not.----As to a review of the actual product.There is good news and bad news.The (not very) bad news is that an identical unit purchased 10 years ago was of better overall quality - the shelves were deeper and thicker (not an issue as the weight they hold is minimal) with better hardware to keep them in place. The current metal pins for that task are smaller while the holes they go in are not so they are apt to fall out until you actually fill the shelves to put some tension on them. It just takes a bit of patience putting them back in but in the end they work fine. The shelf depth becomes a consideration if you have this in a public space since they now measure a hair over 4.5 inch rather than just under 5.5 in. As a result, the ends of dvd/blu ray/CD cases will overhang the end of the shelf which may not be cosmetically pleasing to some (on the upside- no dusting!).That's really it as far as bad news.The good news is that this does what it is supposed to, isn't unattractive and will hold a fair number of items.It will arrive in a fairly unwieldy package. I will repeat this a couple of times to make sure the point gets across. This is a large heavy object prior to and after disassembly. The shipping weight is 65 lbs. In a pack or suitcase that's not a problem to get up several flights of stairs. In a box this size and without handles it is a two person job unless you are in a situation where you can cut the box open and take the larger pieces up first and the rest later. Just something to be aware of.One really big piece of GOOD NEWS is that the box is thick cardboard with considerable foam packing to keep all the pieces from moving around during transit and while not indestructible it should survive being dropped from low heights during transit. After all the reviews of similar items I read complaining about damage which happened prior to arrival, I didn't take this as a given. Unless they drop it out the back of the truck or drive the truck over it, you should be ok!You will need floor space larger than the final size of the unit to be able to assemble it (for those who haven't before). The instructions have you assemble the whole item face up (finished side up) then flip it over to put the back on it. (as an aside my unit conveniently had the stickers on each part located on the inner face of each piece making it less likely one would end up with it pointing the wrong way [but this wasn't specified in the instructions])Assembly was straightforward and should take 30-45 minutes with a screwdriver and hammer (a little longer if you are a newby and/or alone). Apart from getting the parts up the stairs, you really only need an assistant for about 5 minutes of that time to get the unit flipped over and from horizontal to vertical.Flipping the unit over is a bit problematic, particularly by yourself. Once all the shelves are in the unit will have considerable structural strength. It's actually quite solid (read heavy) and my other one shows no signs of aging. Barring water damage these are likely to outlast me. HOWEVER, until the shelves are in and PARTICULARLY prior to getting the back on the thing there is not much in the way of torsional rigidity.So it is possible to damage the unit (or have it come apart temporarily) while moving it with the back off. This is more likely to happen if you are doing it by yourself and the unit is, therefore, under greater stress.As I was working alone I departed from the instructions (NOT recommending this course of action, just saying it will work). I built the top of the unit (including putting the back on carefully) then built the bottom and had that upright first and subsequently lowered the top onto it (resting the latter against an adjacent wall with a protective blanket between it and the wall). Once I lowered the top unit onto the base unit I tightened the fasteners between the two and put the back on the lower half (the latter not being nearly as easy as doing it flat but doable). It really helps to have three hands and the wall acted as that. This avoided putting strain on the unit during assembly.If you do it flat be advised that the base is wider than the rest (so it won't tip) and when you roll the unit over so it is "face down" this will leave the middle unsupported. It is best to have something to put underneath it to help support it so that the junction between top and bottom halves is not unduly exercised (particularly as you are about to beat on the back of it with a hammer to get the nails in place). YMMV.One more thing to be advised of. The screws which go through the bottom of the unit have holes for them to be started in BUT not tapped for the screw heads. Therefore the heads of the screws will protrude slightly from the bottom of the unit (remember they said to not overtighten to avoid splitting the wood). If this is going in a carpeted are or on a rug, no issue. If you plan to place it on a wood floor then self adhesive furniture pads (small) to cover the screw heads are a must purchase.Read more

This product manufacturer should quit building furniture because they suck at it. I have been building cabinets all my life but at 61 years old I thought let me save time and money by buying the DVD shelf and what a big mistake on my part it was to buy this product. Please nobody buy this product if your smart. I had to place brackets on the back rails to hold it together when you turn it around to nail the back on . The nails were way to small to hold much of anything then just cardboard back. Let me tell you If you get to the point where in the instructions it tells you to turn the unit over to put the backing on , that where it falls apart and I reinforced the back joints with L brackets to strengthen the connection . DON'T. Turn it over because It will snap like a twig, and all of the plastic anchors will pull out of the unit . This why i added four L brackets to hold it together when turning to add the back. The unit I bought is now standing, but only because I reinforce the butt joints in the center of the unit. I would return it, but I don't want to invest the time it would take to disassemble and repack, which is what I suspect Amazon counts on. I would not recommend this to anyone, it is a horrible product.ThanksJoeRead more

Let me start out by saying that this thing is CHEAP. I wasn't expecting much, based on other reviews, but you cannot prepare yourself for how CHEAP this thing really is. If you get to the point where in the instructions it tells you to turn the unit over to put the backing on, DON'T. The thing snaps like a twig, and all of the plastic anchors which hold the unit together pull out of the particle board framework. The unit I bought is now standing, but just barely. I would return it, but I don't want to invest the time it would take to disassemble and repack, which is what I suspect Amazon counts on. I would not recommend this to anyone.