Overall, I'm happy with the strength and sturdiness of the shelves. The gloves, tiny hammer, and floor guards provided were not very useful though. You need a real mallet (not the tiny one they provide) and some good, hard swings to put this together, but it's very doable for one person. I wrapped my mallet in a hand towel to protect its soft surface, because you're hitting the edge of the metal not a flat piece. You could also put a piece of wood (like a section of a 2x4 if you have one) on the edge of the metal and hammer the wood, so the wood will get grooves hammered into it (instead of your mallet) from the metal. Put the frame together before adding the \"shelf\" pieces. They don't have to be added before the frame is done, but it definitely makes a lot more noise when you start putting together the next level after adding the shelf to the level before. I figured the little \"guard\" things were a thick rubber, like my mallet, but they're some kind of thin, brittle plastic. They look like they were 3D printed. I bought rugs to go under my shelves instead of trusting these things. For the 4 corners at the top of the shelves, I might line them with hot glue instead of using these; I think the hot glue would be less likely to break off, and it would be easy to remove from the metal if I didn't like it. But the tops of the 4 corner posts will definitely need something before I can put a fabric cover over the shelves, otherwise they would easily rip any type of covering. Obviously, they end up being heavy when assembled. So, put the base together and put it where you want your shelf to go, and build up from there so you don't have to move the whole thing later. Luckily, it can be taken apart for the next time I move apartments.
William J Jr. 
