Customer Reviews

Bell'O WAVS-341 Bent Wood Audio Video Cabinet (Espresso Finish)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When was the last time you bought something, and found it to be much better than you would have expected? Here's your chance. The Bell'o WAVS-341 is a beautifully constructed example of function, style and craftsmanship of a quality that is hard to find at any price. I recommend this unit and the Bell'o brand wholeheartedly, and suggest that anyone who has been disappointed at the quality or aesthetics of the typical box-store television stand give Bell'o a good look. Add to this the fact that you can easily pay more for an unattractive, disposable-quality stand, and this piece is an amazing value.

We picked the Bell'o WAVS-341 television stand after an exhaustive online and brick-and-mortar search for a well-made, solid cabinet with clean lines and a bit of style. After perusing cheap particle board junk at a well-known Swedish furniture outlet we normally like and $1,800 particle board junk in the local department store, and finding nothing that even seemed functional, we found the Bell'o line on the Internet and were immediately impressed.

We liked the solid wood construction and the mid-century modern look of the bent wood frame and legs of the WAVS-341, and found the lowest price by about $100 here on Amazon. We ordered it, and it has exceeded our highest expectations.

The unit came packed beautifully in a large *heavy* box and arrived in perfect condition. As mentioned,it's a big heavy thing (something like 180 lbs.) that FedEx brought to my door using a pallet and pallet jack, so expect to need some help getting inside, or open the box where it is and carry the individual pieces inside.

Assembly took some time and some care, and really requires two people due to some complexity in aligning everything when assembling the bent wood pieces. I managed it on my own, but was lucky not to bung up the finish. However, all of the necessary hardware was included and impeccably labeled, and the directions were crystal clear and easy to follow. Once completed, the table felt like the most solid piece of furniture you could wish for. Everything aligns precisely and locks firmly into place. The only tools I needed were a screwdriver and the Allen wrench included in the package. I used a palm-sized electric screwdriver that also has Allen screw bits that sped things up considerably.

In putting the unit together, you notice first-rate details, like the rotating cams that lock the back panel firmly into place. Even the little monogramed "Bell'o" medallion that is normally out of sight is beautiful and clearly well-made. The cord organization system is simple, consisting of slots in the back panel and two flexible cable keepers that attach to the back of the unit, but it works well and keeps things neat. Bear in mind that this unit is close to the ground, so despite its excellent design, you will have stoop a bit to get all your cords and wires sorted out.

Our 52" LCD television weighs 67 pounds, and does not cause the slightest visible flex in the top shelf of the unit, which I believe is rated at 120 pounds. It looks absolutely great, its rich veneered wood gleaming sleekly but unostentatiously beneath the television. The tv and the new stand looked so good that we felt the need to paint and decorate the living room a little better just to keep up.

As for the price, once you start looking, you realize that 1) you almost can't find anything this beautiful and well-made in a store to start with, and 2) if you can, it's likely to cost much more. I recently saw something similar, but unquestionably less beautiful, in a Scandanavian / modern type furniture store for almost twice the price. Department stores are worse, and will happily charge you two thousand dollars for anonymously styled particle board.

I don't write a lot of reviews on items I buy from Amazon -- and I don't generally gush like this over consumer purchases. But in this case, I was amazed at how difficult it was to find a decent, functional, well-made example of a product that most Americans need, and for that matter, it's difficult to find ANY furniture that is built right out of quality materials, looks good, functions well, and doesn't cost several thousand dollars.

Bell'o not only covers that in spades, but has that even more hard-to-find quality -- the feeling that someone actually designed and built this item with pride, and with a determination to do a good job. And with *artistry*. Style. Taste. Craftsmanship. These words don't apply to many things the average person can buy anymore. I wish these guys made regular household furniture, because I'd buy a houseful of it. I'd like to shake the hand of the man or woman who designed and built this thing, and then agreed to sell it for such a reasonable price. In lieu of that, I offer my humble five-star review of the "Bell'o WAVS-341."

After reading many good reviews about this TV stand, I decided to order it from Amazon. The TV stand arrived shortly but with damage I could not see before completely unpacking all the pieces. The box took a lot of beating and consequently there were dents and scratches all over the TV stand. Bell'O included a touch-up pen for the TV stand. It helped but you cannot repair a dent with a pen.

The two biggest pieces (table top and bottom) are touching the box directly without *any* protection on the side. This means any side impact to the box will almost guarantee to damage the pieces. I would highly suggest Bell'O use thicker packing material and add a protection layer between the box and the big pieces.

* 5 Star for the TV Stand itself. This is one of the most beautiful TV stands I have ever seen. Build quality is top notch. Design is very elegant.

* 2 Star for the poor packaging. Another review also mentioned damage to the TV stand.

* 5 Star for Amazon customer service - they were very helpful in answering my questions and offered options to compensate my loss for accepting a damaged TV stand. I cannot recommend Amazon enough.

I am happy with the overall look of the piece and I was able to put it together by myself so those two things earn it a good review. I will agree with other people who've posted reviews - the packaging for this product is terrible. There isn't enough padding between the outside of the box and the two biggest pieces. This resulted in several dings on the edges of the top and bottom piece. Fortunately I was able to hide the worst of them in the back. I think it would have been a nightmare to try and return this so if the damage had been worse I'm not sure what I would have done.

I wanted so desperately to save money on something as simple as a new TV stand, but after seeing this unit I couldn't stop thinking about it. I love the modern aesthetic. I gave myself a few days before realizing that I simply had to have it. In my apartment, where the TV is really the center piece of my living room, it's a stunning, eye-grabbing piece of furniture just where I want one the most. Spend less money on your nightstands... nobody has to see those ;)

Mine came well packaged and 4 days ahead of schedule. The pieces are very sturdy. The glass shelf is thick, the chrome cylinders are heavy and shiny, and the wood pieces are smooth and well-finished. The assembly is simple enough. The weight of the TV stand as a whole might make it cumbersome for small-framed individuals, but I considered this a relatively easy assembly compared with all of the IKEA stuff I've put together in the past.

I like the shelves because unlike my old TV stand, which had individualized compartments, you can put three things (cable box, A/V tuner, PC, etc.) per level as opposed to only two. I also like the design of the piece in the back, which gives you plenty of room through which to route your cords. Some units give you a hole that's too small, which makes it difficult to install or reconfigure your stuff.

My only complaint is that I don't like how the curved top and bottom pieces of wood attach along a seam on the side of the unit. The fit of the two pieces together, given where they drill the screw holes, is not as tight as it could be. But that's probably just my being overly picky. It would take a very trained eye for someone else to notice that seam...

They just lowered the price significantly on amazon!! You can now get this for under $400 with free shipping?! That's a STEAL. There are TV stands that cost $1000 that don't look this good.

I just received my TV stand today. After reading some of the reviews I carefully inspected the packing box when it arrived and it appeared to be in relatively good order. There where just a couple of minor knocks and abrasions but no apparent damage. As I unpacked the contents they seemed to well packed with foam liners surrounding the contents and protective coverings over all the items to protect them from scratches in shipment. Only while dusting the packing material off the components did I discover a large dent in the middle of the lower flat panel in the front. If it were in the back where it would not be seen I perhaps would not have returned it and requested some kind of price adjustment if possible.

I am not at all convinced that the damage was the result of shipping. The carton did not have any damage that coincided with the observable damage. To put as large a dent in this plywood veneered panel had to take a lot of force and no visible force or damage showed on the carton. I think the damage was done at the manufacturer and it was just shipped that way. Poor quality control is the best explanation I can come up with. I have arranged for a replacement unit and UPS pickup. Repackaging the item is no fun since I had to unpack it in the garage where the driver left it due to the weight and take it in and back out of the house one piece at a time.

Overall the stand looks pretty much as advertised. When they say solid wood be mindful that they mean solid wood veneered plywood. This is how they get the bent shape and if you look closely you can see the multiple layers of glued plywood. Also the color would be best described as "Espresso". If you like your coffee color black then you will like this. It is not at all the color shown. The new low price ($440 from 512 too good to be true) perhaps explains my current dilemma.

Will update later on new arrival

Update

Since I received my first delivery I have had two more replacements sent. One was lost for a week in transit. Both were also damaged on arrival. Return pickups were prompt and courteous. The packaging on this item is just not sufficient to withstand the handling procedures of the shippers and they stated this to me since they are somewhat heavy and large packages.

All said and done I cannot speak too highly of the Customer Service Department at Amazon. Their customer calling number connected me to a service rep in less than 30sec. They went "WAY" above and beyond my "Wildest" expectations in making up for the unconvinced I had experienced. This is one case of a bad result turning into a very pleasant experience. Amazon's dedication to making your online purchase reliable and enjoyable is the reason, in my opinion, why they are the very best online retailer.

Packaging was good, had a gash in the side of the cardboard box but did not mark the unit at all so did it's job.

Assembly was tricky but possible to do alone. Good quality finish, good quality materials, my amp (Onkyo TX-SR607) fits nicely on either shelf.

This is a great TV/AV table. Assembly was simple and fairly easy, and no tools required except for the Allen wrench/screwdriver that is provided. The instructions say you should have two people to assemble it, but I was able to do it myself by following the step by step instructions and being extra careful. The table's material is of excellent quality and very sturdy. I have placed my Samsung 52" flat screen on the top shelf (wood) along with the center speaker for my Yamaha Home Theater. I put my Yamaha receiver, LG blue ray player, and WII on the second shelf(glass), and my TIVO HD DVR on the third shelf (wood) with room left over for other components. The table looks great in the living room, I don't think you can find a better TV table for the price.

This TV stand is very cool and I highly recommend buying it. I would also recommend making your purchase in person and driving it home yourself.

The Stand that was delivered to me was seriously dinged and scraped up. The packaging seemed to be sufficient but couldn't stand up to the abuse it was subjected to along the way to my doorstep.

This stand is absolutely beautiful, and adds so much value to my living room that I plan to get my house re-appraised! Okay, maybe not, but this certainly does add a very nice touch of contemporary elegance to my living room, and will look classy with my new 54" Plasma TV. Its open design is fantastic for those who have a receiver and/or other components that run hot and require good air flow.

I was pretty apprehensive about ordering this after reading other reviews citing examples of poor shipping and dings in the wood finish. When I ordered, I had it delivered from the Amazon warehouse and not from one of the external sellers, and paid an extra $6.99 for Saturday shipping. FedEx delivered it today (Saturday) as expected, there were no holes or gashes in the box, and upon removing all of the pieces from the box, I was relieved to discover no flaws whatsoever. It was in perfect condition!

Other reviewers also cited difficulties in putting the TV stand together - I was able to accomplish this alone in 1.5 hours using only the tools provided with the product. However, I admit that the way the instructions state the stand should be built would require a few extra hands to hold pieces in place while screws are put in. My trick was that I had a small coffee table, same size as the glass, and I placed the Styrofoam on the coffee table as padding, the glass on top of that, and put the stand together upside down, which, incidentally, is exactly how Bell-o pictures it in the manual even though they tell you to build it right-side-up (this will all make sense when you see the manual).

I am thoroughly satisfied with my new Bell-o TV stand, and if you receive the product in as perfect a condition as I did, you will be too! Now if only my TV would get here soon...

I've been going to different furniture stores and being very disappointed at the quality of their overpriced furniture. Normally all you find is TV stands made out of cheap particle board with a thin cheap looking veneer top layer. They can only be used against the wall because the back is not made to be seen. One of my biggest gripes is the price tag, they normally sell their tables for at least $500 to $1000. I started looking online and found this table.

The thing that really surprised me about this cabinet is that it has no cheap particle board underneath the veneer. It is made like the expensive "Eames" style of furniture of bent layers of wood which is a tedious way to make furniture. It also has the "Eames" timeless contemporary look that was big in the 50's and 60's but with a bolder features and it is a 3 dimensional table that looks great pulled out away from a wall.

My TV looks great on it and the components fit perfectly in the openings.

It is a very heavy piece of furniture weighing in at 120 pounds. I found it at a much cheaper price at another online store with free shipping included.

If you want a great looking uniquely designed quality TV stand get it.