The base is very sturdy. Worth the money. Be prepared to purchase a different shade. The shade came apart as I was putting it together. Note the shade part is one that connects to the socket before you put the bulb in, so you’ll need a conversion piece if you want to use a spider lamp shade. Bottom line, I like the actual lamp but find the shade part to be garbage. Because I got this on a sale, it was worth the price to get a new shade.