I don't normally write reviews on Amazon items. You get what you pay for. But I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by this piece of furniture. It's your typical kit style piece. However, it's higher quality than most. You will spend some time assembling it. My estimate is an hour and hour with a partner, maybe an hour and a half or two hours by yourself. The instructions were good and easy to follow. I would suggest as others have to install the lift top brackets to the base of the unit before attaching the table top, at least for a single person. It really all went together well, with no drama. All holes lined up properly and with plenty of extra parts, a bag full, nice touch. It actually came with a screw driver that you will want to keep in your tool box, also a nice extra touch in my opinion. The table is very sturdy after assembly. It's actually kind of over engineered for the price point. That's rare for kit furniture. As far as materials, I would say adequate to above average, especially for the price point. Nothing feels cheap. The finished assembly feels sturdy and robust. I'm not sure if they use an actual wood veneer or a synthetic laminate, but it looks like real wood when assembled, not too shiny like a plastic veneer. It seems to take wood oil nicely. I did assemble the unit with polyurethane glue in all dowel pins. It seems incredibly sturdy. The lift top mechanism works extremely well, and smoothly. The only real cons I can describe are that the drawers and interior bottom panels are "relatively" thin, but this is a minor issue at best. Overall I'm incredibly happy with the purchase and final product. It assembled without drama, seems extremely sturdy, and looks good when completed. What more can you ask for especially considering the price point? Highly recommended. (This is just my opinion btw)