First, this is a good quality bench. Solid wood, excellent finish and looks fantastic. It is perfect for us and convenient to use. The reviews stating that the bench is somehow low quality is not true. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the wood for the price. It is all in the assembly and I have assembled a lot of furniture before.. I'm almost certain those who felt this bench is not solid or stable did not tighten the cam locks enough or they thought they were tight. Here are some tips on assembly to get this bench to how its supposed to be.1. Starting from step 1 you will notice the pre-drilled holes for the cam lock screws are not big enough. You need to use a screwdriver to widen up the hole so you can get the screws to go in.2. The screws from step 1 and every other step you see those screws, they have to be PERFECTLY installed. Do not use an tighten so much that it goes too deep and do not leave it where you can still see thread. Tighten it to the point where it is exactly flush with the wood piece you are screwing it onto.3. make sure the screw is standing STRAIGHT.Only when you follow these 3 steps exactly, will your cam locks be able to tighten correctly.