Customer Reviews

Tot Tutors Book Rack, Primary Colors

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I had high hopes for this cute book rack for kids. But within a week one seam on the nylon fabric had split and shredded rendering 25% of the rack unusable. And, no, I didn't overload the rack. There were only 3 lightweight books in that slot. I'm not sure if it was a defect or poor quality fabric. It's not worth sending back as the shipping would amount to more than the benefit. I'll probably buy sturdier fabric and replace the nylon as the wood part of the rack seems to be ok.

I was so excited to get this book organizer because for a long time we were keeping my sons books in his dresser drawers and it was very hard for him to see what books he had. I am sad to say I was very disappointed at first because it was made of vinyl/plastic, I would have liked it to be cloth, and second assembly wasn't so easy and still its very wobbly. So back to the material, it's so cheap I cannot hold more than 2 books in each row or it will rip. two rows of material have already ripped which means now it holds about 4 books safely. I would not recommend this to anyone. I am going to look for a new one, maybe with cloth or something else more resilient.

I'm actually pretty pleased with this unit. The racks are durable, despite what other reviewers have written. My daughter uses this with great ease. It stays in place (not flimsy) when my daughter adds and removes books. It is approx. 2ft tall and 2ft wide. The shelves are sturdy enough that they've withstood the excessive use from my nearly 20 mo. old. The book rack is currently holding around 30 books. I would have it hold less, but my daughter sees to it that she puts far more than just a few on it. The unit was put together in less than 10 min. and came with few pieces. There were 5 metal rods, 10 screws, a 1 piece nylon book rack (divided into 5 separate shelves when put together), and 2 wooden book rack ends. I did not need the hubby for this. It's cute and fits perfectly in the corner of my room, taking up little space. (See pics for a visual)

This bookcase is very attractive and easy to put together. I have three issues with it, however. One is that it doesnt hold many books. Another issue is that the pockets are too deep so most of the book is covered in the shelves. The third issue is that when you load the pockets with books, the pockets strangely lean forward with the weight of the books so it doesnt sit upright.

Since there are so many highly rated negative reviews from 2007 and 2008, I just wanted to set the record straight on this product with my experience so far. I purchased this item on Thursday and Amazon (Prime) had it to me by Saturday of the same week. So one point for Amazon on quick shipping.

The product is not the greatest quality, as to be expected for $27 but it works for what I intended it to do. The shelves are not plastic, nor are they canvas but a sturdy looking nylon one piece that gets threaded onto the rods. I saw the other comments about the nylon ripping but I think a quick call to the company will correct that. I know firsthand because one of the "wood" sides, which are actually press-board or something similar, actually broke during assembly. While I was turning the left piece with the 5 rods attached in order to thread the shelves on, one of the rods came through the screw hole, punching a circle that could not be patched. I still assembled the shelf since the pressure of the other 4 rods on that side and all 5 rods on the other side holds it together, but my daughter isn't yet crawling so for now it's safe. Otherwise I would leave it out of her room. That said, I wasn't going to go through the return process and called Tot Tutors today. Spoke to a very nice man who is shipping me out the correct side today. I will update the review when I receive it.

As relates to the shelves themselves - I do agree that they are rather deep. Kidlet's Goodnight Moon and Baby Animals books are sunk so deeply that you can't see them, so right now they are on the shelf. I do have a fix though that I will apply today - namely stitching some of the shelves shallower (just run a basting stitch along the bottom of the shelf, about 1-1.5" from the current bottom of the hanging shelf. That should solve that issue. I cannot yet comment on the longevity of the shelves but they don't look like they would shred with little kid books on there.

As it is though, I have about 10 books on the shelf right now with TONS of room for more. Seems pretty sturdy even with one busted rod slot and definitely sized for a toddler.

I'll let you know how the customer service pans out, but very nice, non-confrontational over the phone (as has been my experience with some other manufacturers).

Update: 7/10/11 (original review 7/6) - got the promised part today - extremely well packed and sent via UPS. It was whole with all the necessary pieces (meaning, none of the prior assembly punched the pieces out). Issue: it wasn't new like they promised but used, including some sticky gooey sticker residue on the outside that I couldn't remove plus clear scrapes on the bottom front and top corners. Since it was going to be such a dramatic contrast to the brand new appearance of the other pieces of the bookshelf, i didn't reassemble it with that piece (probably part of a return). Will call again to get new part - hopefully will get it then.

It serves it's purpose. The Sleeves are plastic but are sturdy. It has stood up to toddler and preschool abuse. Granted I'd prefer canvas but for the price this is great. Also it holds at least 20 books. This is with about 2 to 3 deep. I don't know how thick the persons books are that said 8. The books we store are regular kid books, some a few inches thick and some 1/4 or 1/2 inch thick.

I read the reviews, and bought the item anyway. I loved it at first, its an awesome little shelf. But, today I noticed the bottom two poles were loose and sagging, when I inspected it the end of the shelf where the poles screw in to the wood in the side had completely ripped through, now there is nothing to put a screw in to hold it. This rack is less then 2 months old and I have a 18 month old. Its not under any abnormal stress. Just poor quality. It would be better if you made it yourself.

Better than you would expect for the price! My son loves having his books organized and easy to reach. We have several heavy books in it and the canvas has held up fantastically! Colors are cute and it was pretty easy to put together. My 2 yr old and I did it together.

If I could give this zero stars, I would. It lasted about 2 days in my house. My 20-month-old bumped into it with a toy and it absolutely crumbled into pieces. The screws stripped right out of the "wood" and it was all over. Not to mention that it is incredibly small and barely held any books. So disappointing!

This only took me 5 minutes to assemble; so easy. My son loves the colors; it doesn't hold a ton of books; but the price is so good that you can order more than one!! Great investment!!! Sturdy; and the sleeves that hold the books are also kind of a tarp fabric, so it is easy to clean; and pretty waterproof!!!!