Foremost 327409 Modular 2-Drawer Cube Storage System, Espresso

READ this is you are considering buying these cubes!! I bought and put together 5 different sets of these modular cube systems a few months backed - liked 'em so much I ordered more (in a variety of "styles' - from this to ones with the doors, plain cubes, etc.) for my library. Ordered 2 different forms from this company (sent by Brookstone) and unaware also ordered 2 other cubes from a different company(PLUMSTRUCK) - they all looked the same on-line so I didn't realize they were coming from different places. The Brookstone Foremost cubes are not the original company that had sent my first set that I put together. When reading the reviews I didn't understand the negative comments since the first batch that I got was perfect - well made for what they were, easy-ish to put together, no missing parts, no scratches, etc. Looked good. NOW I understand. When I opened the boxes from the company that I had ordered the first set from and from which I got several new cubes they were well packed and as well made as I remembered. Then I opened the boxes from Brookstone with their Foremost cubes. I was so taken aback that I thought they had sent me the wrong thing - then I compared these cubes to the others and they looked the same...but that ARE NOT. Weird! The Brookstone foremost cubes had not been packed as well (not foam between the boards) and were all scratched and ding up...additionally the particle board was not as...solid... as the ones sent by Plumstruck company...and the paper veneer did not seem as firmly applied to the board and was already peeling off at various edges. AND the 2 drawer cube sent from Plumstruck already had the drawer slides attached onto the cube boards (drawers still had to be put together) while the Brookstone 2-drawer cube (this one I am reviewing) came totally in pieces - the plastic drawer slides actually have to be put onto the board sides as well as having to put the individual drawers together as well. These Brookstone Foremost cubes are NOT AS NICE as the ones that I got from Plumstruck - and it isn't a fluke since I've ordered and put together nearly 8 now of the Plumstruck modular foremost cubes.. What gives?? I don't get it. BUT if you do order these cubes - and I love them for what they are - make sure to get the ones NOT FROM Brookstone but from the Plumstruck company.

Was just what I needed.I wanted some extra storage below my computer hutch (only had about 18"x18"x18") and this 15"x15"x15" cube fit the bill. My computer hutch dwr had become a 'junk' dwr and I wanted to get some organization. Adding this 2-dwr cube did the job! Also ended up giving me a 3" open-shelf from the cube top to the bottom of my hutch dwr for stacking printer paper.Was sturdy, pretty straight fwd to put together, with extra mounts/hdw to attached to another cube is so desired.Is 'walnut-like' veneer finish over 9/16" particle board construction. Could be sat on or stood on (I weight 200 lbs) w/no problem if so desired.My only comment to the negative is that $40 seemed a little high---more like a $30 item..but since bought as Prime w/free shipping, and was heavy, the final $40 price makes sense. (also saved me time/$$$ shopping around and trips to local stores).Thinking about buying some more of these cubes for various 'cubby holes' of extra storage around my houseEDIT Oct 2012:Found another use for the 2-Dwr Cube: Wanted to elevate my 19" HDTV in my MBR for viewing while laying down and looked at wall-mounted shelves---most ran over $30 and looked tacky. I bought a 2nd cube and mounted on other end of triple dresser from mirror and placed TV on. Worked great and added 2 more dwrs to my dresser at the same time. (see Product pic)

You're getting what you pay for here. Everything fits together well enough, and the case is nice and sturdy, but I'll be surprised if the drawers hold up for more than a year. The problem is that the sides, including the tracks, are made of what essentially appears to be pressed cardboard, which will likely disintegrate with continual use. To fortify them and make them more durable, I covered them with electrical tape. Also, the units come with little tabs that are meant to keep the back of the unit from popping out. I used them instead to strengthen the drawer bottoms (they should have included more of these for just that purpose. They probably cost less than a penny a piece). You may also want to use slightly larger screws, as they don't properly "grab" in some of the holes.

We figured out a way to mount these on the wall beneath our flat screen TV. We also put in a single divider and now store our DVDs in hanging sleeves in these. Each sleeve is numbered, and we have a printout of all our DVD titles. Finding a movie to watch is easy: just see which number is assigned to the movie, then go pull that numbered sleeve and voila. With the divider, you can fit two rows of DVDs in each drawer. We have four of these cabinets, and so far have only filled just under one and a half with our DVDs (we have over 600). So we have plenty of room for future expansion (but we planned it that way). These are sturdy with a very nice finish (the color is quite nice) and the entire unit, being so minimalist, works great in our modern decor. And of course they can hold literally anything else other than DVDs; drawers are drawers, after all. Just wanted to let others know how we used these in case it can help someone else confronting a storage issue for lots of discs.