There are various brands available of what appear to be the same pantry cabinet with minor visual differences, e.g., item and/or hardware color, and little else to go on other than price. We found reviews provided little to distinguish them apart, likely because reviewers were w/o the benefit of something to compare their purchase to. However, because we purchased two similar-looking pantry cabinets under different brand names, we recognized significant differences in quality between the 2. We feel this review can best serve consumers by including a side-by-side comparison between the Crosley and its largest competitor. We were fortunate that neither cabinet was damaged in shipping, and all the parts were there.We originally chose the H***** brand as it was around $60 cheaper and some reviewers indicated it is good quality for the price—but we beg to differ, and regretted our decision. We also purchased a similar-looking linen cabinet by Crosley, which was the only brand selling them. We were so impressed with its quality that we ordered their pantry cabinet hoping for the same quality, and were not disappointed. The Crosley pantry cabinet is a nice-looking piece of useful furniture for years to come; the other is junk, and H brand was relegated to the basement for light duty.STRUCTURAL QUALITY: Despite what some reviewers indicate (solid wood), these cabinets are largely made of fiberboard; however, there are different types of fiberboard and levels of quality. The Crosley cabinet appears to have a few solid wood pieces, with medium density fiberboard (MDF) rounding out the rest. MDF is more expensive but more durable than the cheaper particle board, which H brand extensively uses. Particle board is more susceptible to chipping, crumbling, and breakage during handling, assembly, and moving (which we experienced w/H brand). We did not experience these issues with the Crosley.STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY: 1) The Crosley cabinet uses high-quality bolts and pre-installed metal receivers, and is structurally sound when assembled. H brand relies on cheaper camlocks and simple screws that screw directly into the particle board, making it more susceptible to breaking out. It’s also easy to over-tighten both of these fastener types and strip out the material (we experienced these issues w/H brand also). Despite its heavy weight, brand H cabinet is shaky/wobbly after assembly, and it doesn’t take much for the cam locks and screws to break out the particle board when it’s shifted or moved. 2) The Crosley has high quality metal shelf holders with rubber pads. Brand H uses tiny, straight metal pins of smaller diameter at each corner to hold up the heavy shelves and whatever you put on them. We found it prudent to add additional L-brackets beneath the shelves to provide sufficient support. We saw no need on the Crosley.FIT & FINISH:1) If you look at the attached photos of the two cabinets, you’ll see on one that there are 3 distinctly different shades of “black” among the 5 front panels, which is brand H. The cheap, extremely thin paint also mars, scrapes, nicks, and scratches very easy, revealing a bright white undercoating. Many of the parts had sloppy paint defects, or missing paint w/white showing. We had none of these issues with the Crosley cabinet. There are some lightened areas on the Crosley to give it a distressed/aged look, which works well. There was one scuff mark on a door we would prefer not be there, but it's not significant, especially with the overall distressed look. Furthermore, you can see woodgrain in some Crosley pieces; not so for H brand.2) The Crosley doors are solid; brand H doors are light and when closing emit a sound like they’re either hollow or plastic.3) The Crosley handles and pulls are solid metal and high quality. Brand H pulls are hollow metal, and appear fabricated from sheet metal.4) The Crosley assembly, hinge, and shelf hardware are dark, which blends in with the cabinet’s dark color, vs. cheaper-looking chrome hardware that stands out in Brand H.5) The Crosley has slim, simple but effective hinge pins for the doors, which gives a streamlined appearance and are not noticeable, vs. the typical bulky hinge hardware used on brand H.6) The drawer of the Crosley operates almost effortlessly. Brand H—not so much.ASSEMBLY:1) I've put together furniture for decades, but the Brand H cabinet was one of the most arduous, unpleasant ordeals, made more so by no written directions or precautions; instead faded, insufficient images that don’t indicate front/back, up or down. Some steps are also not in logical/intuitive order. You will inevitably run into issues you will have to figure out on your own. It's easy to install something backwards, upside down, or in reverse.2) Assembly of Brand H requires 2 people as some parts require one person to align and support while the other tightens. It's very difficult for one person to do all three, and the heavy weight of parts contribute to breakage or stripping if they shift when tightening. The Crosley instructions are more intuitive and straight-forward, and with fewer assembly steps enables faster assembly. It’s easier to assemble by oneself, which I did, but still recommend 2 people.3) The Crosley comes with a pack of various extra assembly parts. Brand H fewer extra parts and less variety.4) The Crosley comes with pre-installed, adjustable leveling feet. Brand H—you’ll need to find some shims if you want to level it.SUGGESTIONS: (Lessons Learned)1) Be aware these items are very hard to return as they come in large, very heavy boxes and require a very specific packing order for its many pieces so that they fit perfectly.2) In addition to product reviews (which could have been more helpful), consider seller reviews. Most sellers of assembly-type furniture do not have good reviews, often due to shipping damage, missing or defective parts, and lack of assistance after the sale. For these reasons we generally look for products sold by and/or shipped by, AMZ. Aside from their own brands (e.g., AMZ Basics) they also sell directly other items they’ve vetted based on good reviews, lack of returns, etc. and they better address issues after the sale. Note that of this writing, AMZ both sells and ships the Crosley Pantry Cabinet, and neither sells nor ships brand H or other brands of similar-looking pantry cabinets.3) When assembling: A. Lay pieces on cardboard, old blanket, etc. and don’t stack them on or against each other. B. You’ll save time and your wrists by using a ratchet driver (see photo) vs. a simple screwdriver and the supplied Allen wrench. If you want to use a power driver use it only to screw fasteners in most of the way, then finish by hand, or you will inevitably strip out the fiberboard. C. I organize hardware in a divider/parts tray to more easily identify and keep track of them.4) You may want to add shelf liners to protect the shelves from inevitable scuffs, scratches, product leakage, etc.We can’t guarantee your expectations will be met, but we hope this review helps you make better-informed decisions and you avoid the unpleasant and costly issues we experienced.
