This desk is exactly as promised. It's sturdy, fits perfectly in the space, and looks beautiful (IMOH). The bookshelf is a great storage space with some nice baskets, since the desk does not have a drawer. I have a lot of reference books and there's plenty of room for more. The raising and lowering is smooth and I love the three levels. I will never use the desk at the lowest level; I prefer a bar-height chair or standing. The surface is smooth and my mouse works great: no mouse pad needed. Assembly was very smooth, the instructions could not have been easier to follow (Best instruction manual I have seen.) It took two of us almost three hours: the hardest part was attaching the desktop to the hardware because we had to put the screws in from the underneath and put pressure on the top.