Customer Reviews

Altra Furniture Modern Mission Desk, Chocolate Wenge

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

This is a case of you get what you pay for. The preassembled parts of the desk fit loosely and have gaps. The "wood grain" is a thin plastic film over particle board that arrived peeling off, and that shows scratches even from being wiped with a damp cloth. The poor-quality screws stripped out easily. The best thing about the desk was that assembly was easy, and it has nice lines. Unfortunately though, it won't last long and will need to be replaced.

I knew this was an inexpensive desk when I ordered it, but I expected more quality in the product then what I found.

The box the desk shipped in was in decent shape after going through UPS, however the overall product packaging is rather poor as two panels had noticeable scratched and one of the corners on the desktop is dinged up.

The side and back panels are quite loose and the pieces are not aligned properly. From a distance the desk looks nice but as you get closer you can see all the flaws.

The desk assembled in about 15minutes and the only required tool is a screwdriver.

You can do a lot better at Ikea for only a few dollars more.

Good Price, delivered so soon over my expected.
But you need a good screwdriver to install this desk.

No one is going to mistake this for a high-end piece of furniture. It's pretty obviously furniture of the RTA (ready-to-assemble) type. But for the price it's a pretty good desk.

There were a couple imperfections in the finish, nothing major. Though I haven't done so, I am sure they could be touched up easily with the touch-up pens available at office supply stores (check Office Max, in the furniture section).

The instructions are pretty clear (diagrams). I would recommend studying them closely before beginning, just so you know what to expect.

But it went together pretty easily.

However, as one previous reviewer pointed out, you do need a good screwdriver, preferably an electric one. This is beause the little holes the screws go into that attach the drawer runners are too small, and too shallow. It is nearly impossible to get them in with a hand screwdriver. Even with an electric screwdriver, it was nearly impossible to get the screws into the very dense particle-board. My husband and I both tried unsuccessfully.

Finally I hammered a fairly thin nail (if you do this, don't use too big a one!) into the holes, to make them deeper and a bit wider. This really helped, and after that me & my elec screwdriver were able to finish the job.

The top is quite heavy so it will help if you have a second person available to help you lift it up and position it before you fasten it to the sides and back.

The mission style is a refreshing change from the modern-generic styles which are so common.

By the way, this isn't a "wedge finish" but rather a "wenge finish." Wenge (wen-jay) is an african tree. The finish on the desk is a very dark, espresso brown.

It shipped much faster than expected (by about 4 days) and was here within a week.

Overall, it is a pretty good desk for about a hundred bucks.

I am pretty impressed with the end result when everything was all together. It is indeed a great looking desk for the price; however, the price is a definite reflection of the quality of the product. You just have to ignore the imperfections

The desk came with scratches on most of the pieces RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX! This company has some serious quality control issues. The wood, screws and pegs were all very cheap. You need to be careful when putting this desk together as the screws they give you easily dull off. (They do not provide extras)Have patience and get another set of hands. I tried to do this myself and it looked a bit like a circus act.

Anyway...if you're looking for somewhat nice looking desk and can ignore its little imperfections then get it. If you're looking for better quality in the wood, look elsewhere!

I am very pleased with my new desk. I took a bit of a gamble with some of the bad reviews on this site. It was worth it. Above average wood quality and it looks great. It is a very modern looking desk. Just have someone who is handy put the desk together and you will love it. Was assembled by my handyman in 45 minutes.

The veneer is not of particularly high quality (one corner peeled off on arrival) but the desk is sturdy enough when put together. It is easy to put together and works pretty well. Mostly what one would expect for the price.

Awesome. That's what I get for ordering furniture online. It looks like the laminate tore during application and someone or something just stuck in on anyway. No way this was damage caused during shipping. It's not a scratch or dent. The crack is front and center on the top or "the worst possible place for a blemish" Fortunately, I never intended to use the pull out shelf anyway, so I just flipped the top around when I put the desk together. Now the crack is in the back and covered by the base of my monitor.

With the crack covered up it looks nice and there is plenty of room on the surface for my keyboard, mouse, printer, speakers, flat-screen monitor, and a picture frame with room to spare. I ordered this desk because I wanted a decent looking desk with a larger than most surface area for around 100 bucks. It fits the criteria now, and since the problem was easily remedied, I decided to keep it. Even still, you should think twice before ordering this desk. At the time of this posting, 2 of the other 3 reviewers had noted quality issues.

The desk is great. Large and looks nice. However, the pull out drawer is just barely too small on my desk. It will not reach from one track to the other. I have fixed this by rigging it but I should not have had to do that.

This desk is a great value! It looks nice, is fairly sturdy and was easy to put together. I would highly recommend this desk to anyone who is looking for an inexpensive nice looking piece!