Mayline Brighton 5-piece Desk

We ordered this last year for my husband's new home office. The boxes were heavy! We called the company in advance and advised that we would be unable to help unload due to physical inabilities on our parts and the truck driver delivered them indoors. After being in place for a year, it still looks very professional, the peninsula is a definite favorite with others since they can pull chairs up and work with enough leg room, and desk surface. The hutch is imposing, filing cabinet strangely is suspended from the top and attached on one side, so it gives clearance underneath too. Glass doors look chic, and the metal accents add to the look. The cherry color is pretty, and elegant, suitable for a home office setting. Keep in mind, this baby takes several days and planning to assemble. One or two pieces are definitely awkward to assemble and place. We have the set with the hutch, and although I rate myself as an expert in self-assembled furniture, I had to find room to spread out all parts correctly, and have help at hand to move, lift and place some pieces. According to the instructions, you need to have the whole desk (C-shaped) in place, before you can place the hutch on top, and then how do you attach the hutch to the desk from the back at the desk level, when they are both up against the wall? I ended up securing the hutch to the wall only at the top with my own hardware, and the hutch (it has non-skid foam strips at the bottom) is just sitting on the desk, so it makes me wonder how it was meant to be done? Also, the center back panel in the middle of the "C" shape has no holes for its placement between the two parallel pieces. So you have to hold up the (heavy) panel while you mark & drill fresh holes for the screws that fasten the hardware. Until that is done, the top cannot be secured, since it rests on the back panel. With the center part, all brackets are a chicken and egg story, for the back as well as the desk surface. One negative - the surface can scratch very easily, a dropped stapler or similar weight dragged across in error cost us the surface immediately. Within 2-3 days of use, we placed a desk pad and such protective pieces all over. A glass top for the surfaces would be ideal.

• How accurate was the sizing? Very accurate
• Please tell us about the quality of the product. Heavy and thick material. Looks very professional in home office. Top veneer prone to scratching.
• Was the product free of any manufacturer defects? Yes