SEI 52-Inch TV and Media Console, Espresso

SEI 52-Inch TV and Media Console, Espresso sold by Southern Enterprises, IncMay 2016We purchased this SEI 52" TV stand to sit below our wall-mounted 65" TV, using it only as a multi-media center.Although we were shopping for a stand with an overall length to match the width of our TV (57"), this shorter length (52") is working well for us.GOOD THINGS:We LOVE the espresso color and we LOVE the general appearance. Impressive shipping speed! We ordered using FREE SHIPPING (FEDEX Ground) on a Monday night and it arrived 3 days later. It was extremely well packaged and protected. There were extra pieces for several (but not all) of the hardware items. The legs (maybe the 2 sliding doors also) appear to be real wood, I believe that's the RUBBERWOOD that's mentioned in the listing. The veneered finish held up well after using a petroleum-based glue softener to remove the numbered sticker residue. We didn't experience any "lifting" of the finish/veneer as some reviews have mentioned, but do read our related comments below. The missing/damaged parts were easily replaced with a free call to friendly American-speaking staff with lightning fast handling and shipping.OTHER THINGS:My biggest complaint is that the diameter of the 16 short wooden dowels used during assembly are too small (or the drilled holes are too big). They're so loose as to not provide any structural support at all. However, I wanted that extra support and tried to use them. I tightly wrapped 3.5 turns of vinyl electrical tape around each dowel. That did add a little strength, but nothing is better than a correctly-sized hole for real support.The adhesive on the different numbered stickers on the pieces was difficult to remove. We resorted to using a glue softener to help remove them and still managed to avoid damaging the finish, however, we spent a good deal of time removing the stickers and their sticky residue.Our console came packed with 12 clear PLASTIC brackets for the three shelves, and two of those brackets were damaged. The 2 replacements we were sent were METAL, not plastic. Since we wanted all 12 brackets to be of the same type, we made a second call and ended up with 12 metal brackets that we actually like better than the original clear plastic type. Keep in mind that, from the time we received it on a Thursday, it only took 7 days for customer service to ship us TWO packages of shelf brackets, and that's good customer service in our book.The main portions of the cabinet are made from MDF with a thin layer of veneer. On one piece (and perhaps other pieces), the veneer was extending slightly beyond the corner edge. With one wrong move, I can easily see that veneer potentially getting pulled away from the MDF and essentially ruining the appearance. Caution is the word when handling the corners and edges of any/all of the veneered pieces.Typical for a foreign manufacturer, the instructions are poorly worded, but the diagrams were detailed enough to get it assembled. It took me well over 3 hours to assemble it, but in all fairness, I tend to take my time assembling products like this.All three shelves are a little short on width by a quarter inch or less, so they tend to fit a bit sloppy, especially if the front edge isn't aligned perfectly parallel to the cabinet front. Because of the slightly different dimensions, the metal brackets tended to improve on this condition.The back piece is cardboard and screwed on, which is acceptable to us at this price point.CONCLUSION:Given the price of similar TV stands we've shopped, and in spite of the design/manufacturing flaws, we're happy with this purchase.

I'm happy with it AFTER the assembly, Assembly was difficult for one person to do unless you have 4 hands! It's made of pressboard which broke apart during my self assembly, luckily I am a handy person with lots of woodworking tools and was able to repair it. It would've been impossible to repackage it to return it. So I used my personal skills to get it together. NOW I love it, but I would've returned it if it were possible to put it back in the box!

The first time I got this product, the wood was damaged during delivery. So, after that when I returned it to get a replacement, the holes on the bottom panel were not drilled in. It a very badly manufactured product, and it will be my 2nd time returning it just because it wasn't manufactured correctly.

Pros: 1) Real wood! There might be some particle board in the base--I honestly can't remember--but the rest of the unit is real wood. 2) Easy assembly. There's nothing difficult about putting this together. The parts are clearly marked and the instructions by nature are not difficult to follow. Even the glass doors are preassembled. They slip right in place and move smoothly and effortlessly. 3) Unit is packaged nicely. Everything is well packed in styrofoam and the hardware is clearly marked and blister-packaged. 4) Nice design. Should fit well with contemporary or mission styles of furniture.Cons: 1) Although the stain is dark, it is a very light coat. Removing the assembly labels resulted in some unintentional scraping away of the finish. Fortunately the labels were placed so that their remnants are unnoticable. 2) The cam-lock posts screw into threaded inserts in the wood, and the inserts are made of plastic or nylon. Over-tightening will strip them out easily. I haven't done that, but I suspect it wouldn't take much. If you plan on moving this frequently or just want something stronger, I'd suggest drilling them out and replacing them with steel or brass inserts. 3) Structuraly rigidty is attained from the back panel that screws into the frame. The screws for this panel are, in my estimation, a good 1/4" too short. I stripped a couple of them trying to tighten everything down. 4) The decorative plugs that cover up the cam-lock fasteners...well, some work and some don't, but the ones that don't can be secured with a dab of RTV or hot glue.

Nice construction, fairly easy to assemble. After years of owning particle board cabinets, the solid wood has a nice feel and should be a lot sturdier.

Quality cabinet with quick, reliable delivery, at a good priceCabinet went together relatively easy, but I have some experience with this as I have a hutch from Europe with similar components that I have assembled and disassembled several times over the years when moving. Just need to be careful that the parts are correctly positioned based on the pictures in the instructions before assembling.Cabinet looks great with a 60 inch LED TV on top, even though TV extends on each side by about 2 inches.Agree with other reviewers that the cam-lock cover plugs should be of a color that better matches the cabinet, chose not to use them (really do not need them as the cam locks are really not that exposed).

Though we read a few reviews that rated this console top in the category, we are very unimpressed! It was VERY hard to put together as the manufacturer didn't drill the holes all the way through when needed. Also the buttom of both sides was chipped so now we have to buy additional wood stain to fix the chips.