They had good reviews, but these tables exceeded my expectation. If they are not solid wood, they fooled me (I honestly don't know if they are or not). They look great and are solid. I have a plain natural wood set that I used upstairs, but I don't even want to look at them anymore...these look so nice compared to them. You have to put the stand together, but it only takes about 10 to 15 minutes without even looking at instructions. I think these are great and I'm glad I paid the few extra bucks over the plain ones...these look and feel like furniture instead of 'tv trays'. Highly recommend!