Overall, I would say that this is almost what I expected. I am disappointed that the top surface had a gouge in it and that the cornersedges of the top surface are pretty rough. I am concerned that it will snag clothes all the time or be an issue for slivers. 

I put it together by myself and it took about what they indicated in the instructions. It would have likely gone together faster than the 2.5 hours had I had a second person to assist. Mostly, it was simple enough to build, with a few tricky or frustrating moments making things line up.

I was quite pleased with how well packaged it came to protect it from damage, but the condition of the most important part, the top, was just underwhelming. I didnt expect it to be a family heirloom or anything, but I would expect the wood block to be smooth and gouge free on something like this.