We were very pleased with the quality of the bench, I put it together in about 30 minutes, and it seems sturdy enough. One added extra which wasn't mentioned in the online description, is that the hinges have a slow closing mechanism, so the top won't slam shut on our 18 month old's fingers. I had been prepared to buy foam stoppers or something but didn't need to. It looks great, like a really nice quality piece of furniture. My husband didn't even know it arrived as flat pack until he saw the box in the garage!