I needed this as a temporary furnishing and was able to purchase with an email coupon, so the price was right. However, it was difficult to put together even though I have assembled a lot of furniture in my day. The top is varnished, so you cannot actually use it as a butcher block or cut anything on it without destroying the finish. Also, the drawers are as deep as the unit is, but they pull out only about half way making them virtually useless when trying to quickly access utensils during cooking, etc. if you only need storage, this unit is ok. The drop leaf is sturdy when open, so it works as a small table very well. It just has a few design issues that if I had known in advance, I would have chosen a different product.