SONGMICS Bamboo Shoe Rack

We needed a shoe rack in a visible spot near our front door -- one that would be easy for people to use so the shoes would end up in it, not beside it on the floor. This rack fills the purpose well and looks much better than the particleboard rack that preceded it. It holds about three pairs adult size shoes per shelf (could hold more if they were small adult or kid size). Two members of the household wear mens size 11 and it fits their shoes but not hiking boots. If you need to know whether certain shoes will fit on the rack or the rack will fit where you want to use it, look at the measurements in the description -- they're accurate. The finished bamboo is nice-looking, and although the screws are visible after assembly they are a brass-tone. The rack would look fine anywhere that you might be inclined to keep shoes in public view -- not fine formal furniture but nice-casual. It took less than half an hour to assemble. It would be easier with two people but one can do it. You just need to be careful especially at the beginning as the bamboo is fairly lightweight. There's a "right" and "wrong" side of each shelf (covered nail holes in wrong side) but you have to look closely to tell which is which. You can pick which side you want to be at the front, though I didn't find a lot of defects in the bamboo, so it didn't matter much. Although the wood is predrilled I think you'll get more satisfactory results if you take special care to drive the screws in at a straight (right) angle. One screw that came with mine was defective -- the hole that the included allen wrench was supposed to fit in was filled with a blob of metal. I immediately e-mailed the manufacturer, and the next morning they had a replacement (actually two) on the way -- arrived in the mail two days later. Excellent customer service. I guess the other thing someone might wonder is about "alternative" uses. The size of this rack and spacing of shelves work very well for shoes. The vertical supports are in two pieces held together by screws, and while it's plenty strong enough for shoes or similar weight objects, I'd be hesitant about loading it with a lot of heavier items such as textbooks. It's possible to leave out a shelf for taller items (including boots), though then there would be an empty screw-hole you might want to plug.