Tucks my trailing cables out of sight (Clear Glass TV Stand)

Member Name: dee778

Product:	Clear Glass TV Stand
Date:	24/06/09 (48 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Looks classy, and is very robust.

Disadvantages: The cable tidy casing is a bit flimsy

I needed to buy a TV stand which would hold my son's many gaming consoles, together with our dvd player and 32 inch flat screen TV. I also wanted a stand with a cable tidy so that the many trailing wires would be hidden away. The dimensions of this stand are (H)45, (W)80, (D)49cm, and this was perfect to hold our TV, PS2, dvd player, and Wii. Unfortunately my son has now traded in his PS2 for an Xbox360, which is too big to fit on the stand.
I paid £97 for it - I chose the more expensive model to make sure it was good quality and would not wobble. I liked the smoked glass shelves, which go very nicely with the chrome legs and add to the stylish look of the stand.
When I picked it up from Argos it was flat packed, and although small it was surprisingly heavy. Opening it up, I found each glass shelf carefully wrapped in cardboard for protection. The instructions were very easy to follow, but I think that it definately needs two people to assemble this item, as the heavy glass shelves are difficult to hold straight as you screw in the cylindrical legs. With two people, it was an easy job to assemble the table. It is important to follow the instructions closely, as the chrome legs are each slightly different in length and design, although they look the same - and you can get to the end of the job only to realise that you have got them in the wrong order and there is nowhere to screw the protective chrome top cap.
The cable tidy consists of a rather flimsy plastic mould that screws into the back of the stand with 6 small screws. It is a bit fiddly to get all of the cables inside, and to make sure that they exit at the correct level for the correct shelf, but the advantages of having the cables tucked away make up for the fiddle. The other annoyance is that you have to unscrew the casing every time you want to move the games console.

After a year I have found that the stand lasts well. It is robust and does not wobble. The scratch resistant glass seems pretty indestructable. The cable tidy casing is less robust, and I have pushed too many wires into it, which makes the screw heads that hold it on pull through the plastic. This is the only design fault that I have seen, and it does not affect the look or the function of the table. My only other slight quibble is that the stand is advertised at 45cm high, but when it is assembled it is in fact 48cm high

Summary: Gives my room a sophisiticated look