SauderShoal Creek Desk, Jamocha Wood finish

My desk arrived yesterday and I am thrilled with it already, but there are a few notes I would like to add for potential sellers and the manufacturer. First off for anyone wanting to buy an affordable desk for a small home business, student, or just a place to put your laptop then I would highly recommend this, for those with more serious ventures I would advise on something with more space and larger storage options. The size of the desk is perfect for me being 5'4 and sitting in a standard size kitchen chair ( I am awaiting my comfy office chair) but for those who are taller you may bump into the drawer underneath, which essentially is not that big of deal. The desk has a total of three drawers, one right above where you sit, and two off to the side. I know the appearance of the top drawer makes it look like you have three drawers on the side but instead it is a nice deep drawer. The bottom drawer also comes with attachments to make it into a file drawer, they can be put on optionally and does not effect the design or function of the bottom drawer. I personally will not use it due to the lack of lock on the drawer and instead will stick with my file cabinet.Construction: It was just me putting this together and it took about 2 1/2 hours to assemble, which in hindsight is great time and I believe it to be the clear cut instructions. I have put many things together and this by far had the best instructions with clear pictures and great labels. I did have difficulty on step 8 as the hutch middle piece and end piece did not line correctly and gave me some serious difficulty. I do believe though that if you have another person holding the piece steady on the other end that it would be much easier. Overall, it is great construction and I feel I can get a few good solid years out of it. I am a military spouse so we move frequently and will adjust my review when we move again to address how well it holds up in long travel. The piece came nicely packaged but some of the pieces were scratched slightly or had knicks throughout it, with one drawer actually being cracked. These are minor things but perhaps Sauder would contemplate adding a touch up marker for these types of issues that can happen during the shipping process and general wear and tear; I would say possibly Walmart for getting one but this color is very dark and not a traditional color you might find.I know some reviewers asked how a printer would fit, I have included a photo of the desk with the hutch on and my printer ( HP Envy 5540) so you can see how it fits. It would fit much better without the hutch on but I still have plenty of work room to do what I need to and my printer personally does not stick out far so it does not impede traffic of those walking next to it. Overall I think this is a great addition to my home and would recommend it to others based on what I have dealt with thus far.

I got this desk because it was the only one that fit the space I had that also had a drawer for hanging files. It does the job, but its looks left much to be desired.ProsIt has many good qualities, formost of which are the price and the fact that it is a working desk that looks decent.ConsIt does take a LONG time to assemble - it probably took me 5 hours. This process is lengthened by the need to dust and wash every surface of every peice before assembling it, since the styrofoam they pack it with flakes appart and the specks and dust cling to everything with the static charge.Probably my biggest complaint about it is the wood finish. There is no texture of wood grain to it, like some companies (IKEA, for instance) use. And it is a thin layer - on corners and wherever there is a scratch, a lighter streak appears. One of the top peices came with a few scratches already. Also, the woodgrain look is very dark in person - so dark that in lower light conditions, it is hard to distinguish it from a simple black paint. But that is a taste issue.As others have noted, the back of the desk does not have any wood finish - it is just particle board. Not a problem, as long as you plan to put it against a wall. But not that that philosophy of making only the visible peices look nice carries through in other ways: the insides of the desk, just over and around the drawers when they are open, is also bare particle board, as is the underside of the desk (both the pencil drawer and the bottom of the hanging file drawer. Same with the underside of the hutch shelf. These are not visible if you are at an average eye level, but if there is low chair nearby, or it one sits on the floor, the bare particle board is visible.The grommet-hole-thing in the back, for your computer cord to go through, works, but it is a pain to snake it through - especially since the hutch shelf is directly over the hole, so you can't just reach around and pull it through. Instead, you have to lay under the desk and push it up through.It is not shown in the main picture, but there is a fifth leg to the desk - a chinsey-looking round black plastic support leg, mounted under the bottom drawer. It is not visible if you are standing near the desk, since it is recessed a little. But it is visible from accross the room.Also, I bought the desk thinking it had three drawers on the right, plus the pencil drawer. I was halfway through assembling it before I figured out that the "double drawer" on the top right is just one drawer, with a false front. Not really a problem, and I suppose I should have counted more carefully (I think it said it had three drawers), but it is still a bit confusing. Just know that there is only one deep drawer (plus the drawer for the hanging files),Another problem is that the drawer edges don't line up nice and square when they are all assembled and in place. It is most obvious on the left edge of the drawers, between the top and bottom ones. You are supposed to adjust them with the cams included (which is not that tricky to figure out), and it did work to some extent. You are basically adjusting the rails on which the drawer sits. I had to adjust it to the extreme, raising one side of the drawer and lowering the other, till the drawer edges (nearly) lined up. It did sit in position better once the hanging file drawer was loaded down with my files. So you can achive a straight edge on the left side: but it is at the expense of the right side. It is much less visible there, since it is black on black and in shadow, but if you look closely, it is clear the drawers are not perfectly square in relation to each other, or the frame.The hutch shelf in the back is a bit of an inconvenience - it is too far forward. This means you laptop has to sit basically on the edge of the desk, and you have to sit a little back from the desk. I would prefer to be able to push the laptop back a little, and use the space in front for paper notes or a book. But that is personal preference. And it would work fine with a desktop computer or with a bluetooth keyboard, placing the laptop instead on the shelf itself.

I bought this desk for my son. Came in a nice package but heavy. No damages. Assembly is a pain with so many parts. But it was a fun weekend project for me and my son. I had to uninstall the pull out drawer so that his chair goes all the way inside the table. But I can put it back when he grows taller. He loves his new desk. Very sturdy and reasonable price.

Assembly was time consuming. Desk is very nice for the price. There were small chips in the wood, but it was purchased as a work station not a show piece. We glued the noticeable one back on. Over all I like it just fine.

I like the desk, but you really need to read thru all the instructions to the end to understand how this is put together. This uses expanding plastic sleeves to hold the pieces together. Don't pull the pins down before they are connected to the pieces down the line.

I love the desk. It was easy to assemble, and fits perfectly with the rest of the Sauder Shoal Creed furniture I already have in my office. Its low profile makes it ideal for my office.

Love the look of this desk. However, when it arrived, the bottom portion of the drawers were missing and some bolts were the incorrect sizes. It scratches extremely easily with light use. As well, the drawers do not sit properly and are difficult to slide. I do not recommend this product or ordering furniture through Amazon

it was exactly as I expected It to be..my brother put it together in a couple hours....No problems what so ever....very pleased with my choice