We got this bed due to the double on the bottom & increased weight capacity on the top. Very sturdy & looks great so far. I had scoured, read lots of reviews & waited awhile before purchasing this one over others.  Metal vs wood-- seems like wood worth the extra money for sturdiness & quietness. We were missing the dowels for the ladder & the amount of slats for the top were not the same as in the picture but matched the directions. Came with 6 slats & picture shows 12.  We found dowels locally & added extra slats for support just to be safe. Would definitely be easier to put together with 2-3 people over 1-2. Took awhile but everything was labeled well. Only 4 stars due to the missing dowels & not matching the slats amount in picture vs directions. Hopeful over time good for sharing kids in room & future guest beds. Would recommend!