I work out of my home as a computer programmer and was looking for a simple solid desk to replace the old table I had been using as a work area. I am pleased with the desk overall and I would purchase again, but I have some comments:
1. Assembly - My husband is pretty handy, and has assembled quite a few pieces from Great Offer Stock for me. This one took him almost 4 hours to complete, which was more than I had originally hoped/expected. He mentioned that the instructions were not a good as they could be in some areas. and he could not always use the marked "predrilled" holes as they were not as exact as they could be. He has had other pieces he's assembed where he would comment on the actual materials as being inferior, and that did not come up with this desk at all (I rewarded him a bottle of scotch after to thank him because I know it was more than the usual challenge to assemble.)
2. Looks: It looks just like the photo on O. The piece turned out very lovely, heavy and solid. when complete. It looks to be a quality piece. I have it in a room with two other mahogany older pieces. One thing I didn't catch when I ordered this was that there is actually matte black paint/stain accenting the drawers. I like it and it kind of pulls together nicely with the black desk mat and other black items in my office.
3. Use: I have a computer monitor on it, and I use a keyboard and mouse, both of which I have in the keyboard drawer. I am working at this desk about 9 hours a day, so I have noticed a few things that irritate a little. One of the reasons I wanted the desk was because of the keyboard drawer, in order to bring the keyboard lower. It works well for that, except I feel it would be nicer if the keyboard drawer were a couple inches wider. I can fit the standard-sized keyboard on it, and I have very small mouse pad and mouse next to it. The issue is that the area for a mouse next to the keyboard is not large enough. I have to tuck part of the mouse pad under the keyboard. Alternatively, If I put the mouse pad on the desk itself, then I have to reach up and forward every time I use the mouse, and that got tedius. Admittedly, I hadn't paid much attention when ordering to how large the keyboard tray was, as I hadn't thought of it as possibly being an issue and just assumed it would be as large as a similar desk I had purchased from a local furniture store whose keyboard tray is a few inches wider and works with both the keyboard and mouse, without feeling a tad squeezed in. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but I might have looked closer at another desk if I had understood better the impact of the width of the keyboard tray. Also, the keyboard tray hinge is not recessed, so you cannot slide the keyboard over the drawer portion. (This is not like my other desk, where it was recessed.). This is bothering me a little more, and I'm considering looking for replacement hinges. I saw the comments of others about the keyboard tray not staying up. I have not experienced that, but I am pretty careful to not put up the front of the drawer until the whole tray has been slid back in place, and when I open it, I put the front down and them pull it out. I know this sounds picky, but it makes a difference in how the drawer closes.