Homestyles Dolly Madison Black Mobile Kitchen Island Cart with Wood Drop Leaf Breakfast Bar

I was worried when the box arrived, because it looked like it hadn't been handled gently. Upon opening the box, the foam packaging was smashed up pretty brutally, and I figured this thing was doomed. Nope. Nothing was broken. The two shelves each have scuff marks on one side, but that side is down, and it's not even worth dragging out my phone to take a picture. One of the back panels and the inside of one of the drawers had minor nicks, but nothing ended up visible in the finished product. The packaging did its job!This item was fairly complicated to assemble, and I had to go digging through the packing to find a missing piece. I took my sweet time, doing everything to the highest standard possible, and using glue to reinforce the drawers and various dowels. I think I spent four hours on it, including the time I spent cleaning and dusting every little piece inside and out. It's a very nice looking unit, and I wanted to let it look its very best. (I got the black one, incidentally.)I struggled with the flip lock fasteners. I eventually discovered that a flat-blade screwdriver could be used as a lever to give these thing at a little extra push. One of the flip locks was mounted crooked, and the top would not go on. In my attempt to adjust it, I broke a chunk of plastic out of it. It seems to be holding just fine, and the construction, overall, seems really sturdy.The shelf brackets that came with this unit fit very well, and they're nicer than average. The shelves are easy to adjust, and sturdy. The drawers aren't constructed all that well, but as inexpensive drawers go, these are better than average. They have thick bottoms, and feel quite solid.The leaf on the back fits really well, and the leaf supports on the back have a positive lock with just a little spring tension provided by stretching a metal hinge to its limit. It was clearly engineered that way, and it feels like a really nice, solid design. The leaf won't support much weight, but it sits up flush and level, providing a larger top with no seam that will bother you. This is a big deal to me, because my previous kitchen island had a droopy leaf that used to drive me nuts.I think this is a really good looking unit, and I am already in love with it. I moved everything over from my old kitchen island, and I have two empty drawers, and have only used about 3/4 of my shelf space. I have new options that I didn't have before, and this unit is so much more attractive.I like how everything is closed. My old island had open shelves on one side, and they were constantly collecting dust and dog hair stuck in a film of kitchen grease. I cook in my kitchen. Grease aerosolizes and forms a film on things, which I have to go scrub off periodically. That's just life. So having everything inside closed doors and closed drawers should really help with maintenance. I imagine it will be possible to get this unit really sparkling squeaky clean.In the quibbles department, the worst thing I can say about this is that there was too much wood filler in one part of the top. This kind of construction is typical of furniture at this price point. The top is made of a bunch of random scraps that have been machined with a special joint that has a lot of glue area, then the whole thing was glued into a big panel. Wood glue is stronger than natural lignin, and this kind of construction is solid. It's a good way to make a big panel out of scrap, and it looks nice enough for the money. (A proper butcher block top would probably cost as much as this entire unit.) The problem is they go over these glued up constructs with wood filler, then they machine it all down to finished dimension. Where the individual scrap boards were a little thinner, you end up with visible wood filler once it's all said and done. It's really unfortunate when this wood filler shows up on the top layer of a piece, and that was the case here. It's not the worst I've seen, but it's a minor quibble.That's pretty much it for quibbling. I'm very excited about this new addition to my kitchen. I've been shopping for a new island for years, and I never thought to try shopping online before. It worked out very well. I am very happy with this purchase! Especially since I snagged a deal and got it at a really good price for the holidays. Even at full price, I think it would still be a five star unit. For flat pack furniture, this is pretty good. I expect it will last for years.

I have had this island in my kitchen for 3 days. I cannot comment on durability at the moment. I do have some concerns about the strength of the drop leaf assembly. It is very susceptible to being bent downward . I am not sure if it is the hinges quite yet or where the leave attaches.However, we will see how that holds up.What I am impressed with is the amount of thought that went into the manufacture and instructions of this island.-Instructions clear and easy to understand-All parts very clearly labeled and named.-The part names (primarily hardware) are specifically referred to by name in the instructions.-Part label stickers are purposely placed in spots that will make them inconspicuous after assembly, you don't have to remove the labels.-Assembly went as planned, follow the flow of the instructions, as working ahead may create additional work.Only issue I ran into was one of the locks was not placed straight. This was for the top. The top requires several locks to perfectly align so it can drop into place. This required some adjustments on my part. Nothing major.One thing to note. The locks can be, at times, very difficult to lock into place. Due to the amount of force necessary to lock completely. If your hands are not strong, I cannot think of a tool that will assist in this. Make sure you have someone to help who has strong hands , if necessary.My last point of discussion is quality. This needs to be measured directly to price paid. Also known as value. The quality of materials of the piece is on par with the price. You will be getting an engineered wood frame with rubber wood top. The top should be very resilient to wear and moisture. While the frame will likely not hold up to well in a damp/wet environment. Engineered wood=MDF or sometype of fiber board. If you want 100% hard wood on all pieces, you would likely need to increase your budget.My primary impression is the manufacturing quality and instructions likely will be unparalleled in this price range. However, the materials are typical for price.My only gripe is the wheels are hard plastic. They function well so far. This is something you should be able to upgrade if you choose.Overall, I am impressed with the cart/island. I suspect with great care, it will last for a while.

It was very heavy but got box to where I could unload things. The instructions are good but on the lever locks some will not stay in place for you to lock it down. It must be lined up with the hole it is going into. I assembled it in less than two hours by myself without any mistakes. a couple to the starting operations were difficult with a second person and my dame electric drill battery went out causing me to hand screw many screws. All in all, I'm very satisfied with the product and the assembly instructions.

41 year old single female, was able to assemble by myself in about two hours. Directions are very clear and easy to understand. Says 1 person but my daughter had to help for the very first steps to get the base of the table. Reason I can’t give five stars is the locking screws. They were so difficult and I had to have a mallet and hammer throughout .