Love this bed! I requested a friend to help me after reading reviews suggesting two people put it together. We timed it and it took us 1 1/2 hours and that included time to find a fix for an errant nail that was in the way of getting one of the screws in place.... turns out that just using a drill gave us enough torque to get in. When previous posters suggested not tightening the screws until all the sides were in place and started, they were right on target.... otherwise you will have a hard time getting all the screws in! If it weren't for the errant nail, I think we could have completed in in less than an hour. It is beautiful! There is a little space between the edge of the bed and the mattress, but my comforter hides that, so I think I'll be fine as long as the bed is made when I'm not sleeping. 
I haven't slept in it yet, so I can't say if the platform slats are any better than my box springs, but I feel like it will be great... I will update later if it isn't.