This pergola is beautiful and sleek, and fit our needs perfectly. It seems sturdy and well-engineered. The finish does scratch easily though, so be careful about that.

It took an entire afternoon to assemble, much longer than the 60-90 minutes indicated in the instructions (probably because I did it mostly myself; 3-4 people are recommended). There are many parts and the instructions are long and complex, but the parts are all labelled and it's relatively easy to follow the steps; in a couple of places I had to guess how something went together though. It comes with two allen keys, but I advise using a screwdriver or drill with a hex bit.

All in all, it may seem expensive but it's worth the price. And I think it's much nicer than versions I've seen made of wood, or wood beams with steel connectors at the corners (this will probably weather much better than those types as well; no warping or cracking!)