Customer Reviews

Crosley Furniture KF40001CMA Newport Expandable Bar Cabinet in Vintage Mahogany

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

 

 

I was originally eye-balling the C&B steamer bar cabinet, but at more than double this price, I just couldn't justify the extra cost since they look practically the same on the inside. The big difference is the front fascia and size. A good friend has the C&B cabinet; granted it is a tad larger, but I still don't think that justifies the cost. Also, the C&B cabinet has the "squares" design on the front of it, which is nice, but yet again, still does not justify the cost. Plus- the design of this cabinet's front fascia is just as classy, only in a different style.

From what I can see, the Crosley bar cabinets are all the same, but the difference in the names reference the different style of feet. Here are my opinions and notes from start (ordering & delivery) to finish (setup & filling with items) with a few tips thrown in:

ORDERING - Easy to order. From my research, there is technically only one cabinet body style, while the legs are what is different in each of the different product names.

DELIVERY - Fast shipping to my house. I ordered on Saturday and received on a Wednesday. The boxes (3) were left on my door step and I did not have to sign for it. Two of the boxes were heavy! The third box contained only the feet, so it wasn't as bad. One of the other boxes was very heavy, and I had to get a neighbor to help me carry it up 1 flight of stairs. Mind you, I am typically able to carry heavy items by myself, but this box was too heavy and also awkwardly large to carry alone. The other heavy box was just a tad bit lighter and smaller enough for me to carry by myself. There were some damage to the shipping boxes, but upon opening and inspection, all was fine.

UNPACKING - There were lots of pieces, from structure to trim and also hardware. You will only need a Phillips head screwdriver and the supplied Allen wrench for installation (and maybe a drill, but that will be addressed in the Installation section). All of the pieces were there, but there were no extra hardware, so work carefully to not lose or break anything. Also, most of the pieces were carefully and correctly labeled, but some of the pieces were not labeled at all. However, it was fairly simple to tell which ones were being addressed from the diagrams. TIP: Make sure you find screwdriver bits/heads that fit the screws and cam nuts correctly; otherwise, you might frustrate yourself with stripped bits, screws, cam nuts, and cam bolts. ANOTHER TIP: This thing is heavy before assembly, and is heavier after assembly. It might seem obvious, but make sure you perform he installation close to the location where you plan on keeping it. Otherwise, the move to the final location afterwards might be a pain.

INSTALLATION - Took me about 4 - 4.5 hours by myself, including unpacking, sorting and organizing the pieces, and cleaning up the packaging material (which was a lot). I have put together various dressers, tables, TV stands, and other furniture from the likes of Ikea, Target, Amazon, etc., so I knew what I was getting into. This was really no different than any of that. The installation was pretty straightforward, and the guide had a diagram. If I had to rate it, it would be an easiness level of 7, with 10 being easiest. The only issue I had was that one of the pieces of the cabinet did not have predrilled holes on one side. I had to drill three holes on my own to fit the cam bolts. This was my only gripe with the installation.

TIP: When screwing in the cam bolts, don't over-tighten them too deep. If you do, then when you try to fit the adjacent piece with the actual cam nut, the nut won't turn properly and you can easily break/strip it with too much pressure. If it doesn't seem like it fits or is turning, do not force. Take a step back and reassess.

ANOTHER TIP: The installation guide instructs you to basically put together all of the secondary pieces on to the main (structural) pieces first and screw in all cam bolts and screws beforehand. This is fine, but towards the end, when I got to fitting the top piece with the wineglass-rack pieces (Parts B & C, I think) on, I was not able to tighten the pieces together because the wineglass-rack pieces were in the way. So basically, I recommend not screwing in parts Bs & Cs into the cabinet top, until after you put the top onto the cabinet body (which I closer to the end) and secure the cam bolts with the nuts.

ONE MORE INTSTALLATION TIP: When assembling the door parts, make sure you pay close attention to the alignment and position of the front of the door onto the door frame. Since the holes for the handle are pre-drilled, there is only one direction that the front of the door should go on the door frame. If you miss that detail (like I did), you'll just have to unscrew the cam nuts and flip the door front around. Not a show-stopper, but one of the oh-darn-I'm-so-close moments).

SETUP AND FILLING WITH ITEMS - This wine cabinet has a lot of usable space. The only gripe is that the wineglass-racks were not able to fit glasses with larger bases. Also, one of the door had a weak magnet and does not stay shut. However, we keep the cabinet open so it's not an issue.

OVERALL, this is a nice piece that will definitely add class and style to your room. It does not look cheap and definitely does not feel cheap. It is heavy and solid. I would give it a 5/5 stars, but the fact that I had to drill a few of my own holes was a bummer.

The other reviews listed with this product are pretty much spot-on. The end-result is a pretty nice looking piece of furniture. Looking closer at the finished product, however, tells a somewhat different story.

Shipping: Fast and easy. Arrived in three boxes, just like everyone else. The main boxes are quite heavy, but one person should be able to drag them into your house.

Unpacking: All the hardware was there, but there was a big scratch on the panel where the magnet for the doors mount. Instead of calling the manufacturer for a new part, I just bought a black wood stain pen. Looks great. However, for $400, I was a bit let down.

Assembly: not difficult, but didn't go together easily. This is caused, in my opinion, by a lack of precision at the factory. The cam locks are quite difficult to twist all the way, and I ended up breaking about 12 of them. Not twisting them all the way isn't really an option either. Those doors have to be tight to prevent sagging. As others have noted, use a big (but short) flat-head screwdriver to torque those cam locks. Took about 4-5 hours to assemble. On a positive note, I emailed Crosley and they sent me 30 new cam locks in about a week, no charge. These seemed a lot stronger then the ones that came originally. However, I torqued one too tightly and pierced the side of the door! Pulled out the ol' stain pen and it's difficult to see if you're not looking for it.

Fit and finish: Again, it looks like an elegant piece of furniture just by looking at it. The nickel door knobs are a nice touch and there's a nickel "Crosley" plate inside the drawer (a nifty little detail). Once I replaced all the cams (see above), the unit was quite sturdy. It's got plenty of room for all your bottles and glasses. The doors seem to support the table top well when fully opened, but I couldn't get the doors to align properly. I have to pick one of the doors up slightly just to close it, and when I forget, I dent that beautiful black veneer.

Final verdict: If this was about a hundred dollars cheaper, it would get 4 or even 5 stars. However, for the price, I feel like it should go together a bit more cleanly than it does. I am satisfied with the end result; I just don't feel like I got the value for my money.

Purchased this as a gift for my fíance. It looks just like the picture. Ordered it around the holidays using standard shipping and it was here within 2 days! He loves it! The fact that it folds makes it look great anywhere without taking up much space. It's great to have the option to have it totally opened up... or not.

This bar cabinet required extensive and time-consuming assembly. It is also made almost exclusively of particle board. Other than that, it is nice looking and gets the job done.

Was delivered way ahead of the predicted schedule. Came in three boxes, because of the weight it was appreciated. The boxes were packaged so well there was not even a possibility of a scratch. Went together very easily, looks beautiful. Highly recommend a very classy piece.

I purchased this cabinet as an alternative to the $1000+ options that you can find in furniture/home good stores . . . Item arrived fairly quickly in several very heavy boxes. There are ALOT of parts and it took my husband and I 3+ hours to assemble the cabinet. The assembly was tricky - in order for the cam bolts to engage you had to unscrew the pegs so that 1/8-1/4 of the thred was showing. One of our cam bolts was broken and another major piece needed to screw the bottom to the unit was missing threads . . . One of our front door pannels was chipped in the corner. Once the cabinet was together, to our dismay the left door was hanging strangely - it was hanging so low that the knobs clearly were lop-sided and the door rubbed very badly against the base of the unit to the point where its really difficult to open. I called the manufacturer and explained our part issues, that one of the pieces were chipped, and the fact that the door was not hanging correctly. They said they would ship replacement parts and peices to build another door. The rep was a bit defensive (suggesting more that it was builder-error instead of faulty product). When the replacement pieces arrived, they failed to send what I think is the key offender causing the door to hang incorrectly - the piece with the hinges. And, the replacement door pannel they sent was again, chipped. So . . . they will be getting another call from me. My husband tried to shim the hinges with washers, but even he has given up on trying to make this work and suggests the best thing to do is to return it. I'm willing to put up with assembling all the pieces and parts and invest a bit of time to save a good chunk of money, but am regretting the decision to purchase this cabinet. As of right now, I have a $400.00 inoperative box taking up space . . .

This is a great bar. Takes a few hours to put together but is a heavy and sturdy unit. holds a lot more short bottles than tall but the wine grid is good for unopened tall bottles. The one gripe would be it only holds narrow footed stemware. My good crystal does not fit in the slots. They can be widened with a screwdriver. There is room to move the holders. The color is not too dark and has good texture. I leave mine open and the top makes a good sturdy table or work space. Good solid wood.

Bar was a little tedious putting together, suggest patience and spread out every part so you can see labels clearly. Very happy with final product after put it together, it is a high quality, sturdy and attractive piece of furniture.

I too was looking at the C&B steamer bar cabinet. But to spend $1200 on something that looks identical and is still made out of pressboard? pshhh this is a 1/3 of the price

Pros:
-Pefrect storage for everythign and works great as a "self Serve" bar when you entertain
-Elegant looking
-You can decorate it like a nice peice of furniture
-Sturdy and solid

Cons:
-You can only fit medium sized stemwear in it, we actually hallowed out two of the slats to get our martini glasses in (required some custom work)
-Smelled like TERRIBLE lacqour for 2 weeks when we set it up, stunk up our entire townhouse. Had to wipe it down with pine sol 5 times before it got better, smell goes away in a few weeks
- The door hinges must be weak or something becuase when I closed the cabinet doors with all my booze and glasses in there it hit the bottom
-looks akward and bulky closed, so we leave it open
-The bottom 2 door shelevs are the only shelves you can put liqour bottles in....Max of maybe 8?? four on each side....the rest of the shelves we use for small bottles and aging beer
-The wine rack holder doesnt fit burgandy bottles...only bordeaux style

Overall this bar is worth the $, but you have to tweak it yourself to make it work.

This cabinet was everything i was expecting and more great value for money. it is small when you want it to be small and large when you want it to be large. Perfect!