Prepac 18.75" Spinning Tower Media Storage

This media stand has incredible storage capacity without hogging an entire wall of your room. It's a quality product, made of sturdy wood that I'm confident will have no issues supporting a media collection, books, or any other odds and ends you may choose to put on the shelves. It takes up about as much space as a 5-foot-tall person would if you put a box around them and is suprisingly easy to assemble: there are a total of 12 pieces, not including screws, and all you need is a philips screwdriver and a hammer (hammer use is minimal, and mindless). Once it's assembled, it's relatively easy to lift (the boxes it comes in are HEAVY - one is 70 lbs; the second is smaller, but awkward to lift). The pieces are nicely labeled as being part of Box A or Box B, and are so easy to identify that there's no risk that you'll mistake one component for another. As someone else mentioned, be ready to spend some time cleaning off the sawdust that coats the packaging - it took me more time to clean off the assembled unit and shelves than it did to put it together. Storage capacity (MAX): - 26 CDs per shelf; max of 10 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with CDs, you could fit 26 x 10 x 4 = 1,040 CDs) - 18 DVDs per shelf; max of 7 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with DVDs, you could fit 18 x 7 x 4 = 504 DVDs) - 22 Blu-rays per shelf; max of 8 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with Blu-rays, you could fit 22 x 8 x 4 = 704 Blu-rays) Note: The above numbers assume that you're using basic CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays (no box sets, etc.). Keep this in mind when figuring out whether or not this will be large enough to hold you current (and future) collection. Or, you can be like me and mix and match the above. I also have every intention of buying a second one of these to store my library of paper-back books :) *UPDATE* I did end up purchasing not just one, but two more of these units. They're fantastic at supporting books of all sizes, though the mass media paperbacks are definitely the most aesthetically pleasing fit: they end up inset about an inch from the edge of the shelves, so factor in the depth of the book when deciding whether or not you're comfortable with the "look" of books extending past the depth of the unit. For quantities (based on your typical 200-300 page mass-market paperpack): - ~10 Books per shelf; max of 7 shelves per side (so if you wanted to fill all 4 sides with mass-market paperback books, you could fit 10 x 7 x 4 = 280 Books) I'm personally alright with the "look" of the larger books on the shelves and can happily confirm that the shelves easily support my college text books (including the huge accounting and tax reference books I've accumulated). I will warn that when you're filling these units with whatever media/books/items you choose, be careful to distribute the weight evenly (e.g. fill opposite sides at the same time; make sure that you distribute the weight across the top and bottom of the shelves). The reason isn't that the unit won't support the weight, but when you go to turn it on the lazy susan, there's a risk that it can tip over if you only fill one side (or especially two adjacent sides) while leaving the rest of the unit empty.

The best piece of advice among the other reviews is to read the directions twice before you start. Also, inventory the parts and wipe everything down with a damp cloth. I'll try not to repeat what others have said - basically, I'm a single woman and I put the thing together in less than two hours. There are some tricky parts - while all the drilled holes seemed to be well placed, putting it together on carpet introduces some variations. And I concur with others - the packing is very good. 1. Yes, it comes with a marker to brown out scratches/nicks - some were already there, some I put in during assembly 2. It's fiberboard but it serves its purpose - it almost looks like real furniture and it stores a heck of a lot of dvds 3. It's a little tricky in that while all the holes are drilled correctly (no small feat apparently, based on other experiences) it is important to get the holes lined up before you commit to tightening too many screws. 4. Sides one and two are easy enough - but I tried to line up the screws with the holes on 3 and 4 before I tightened - they are well drilled but it's still difficult to see 5. It did not self destruct when I accidently knocked the half constructed piece to the ground - so yay! 6. I got ambitious and put in some shelf dowels while it was still upside down since it seemed easier: it was, but first, I miscounted (remember you'll want to use the "floor" so the bottom hole is not the bottom; and also some will likely fall out when you flip it. 7. It's strong. I'm a little skeptical about how long the rotating mechanism will work, but so far it's great - and I've loaded it with all my dvds and basically filled it = and rotated it a lot to try and organize things a little. The "cycle" is a piece of plastic but so far so good. The Directions aren't great but they're not that bad -- note that although it isn't listed, you will need a flat bladed screw driver as well as a hammer and a Phillips head screw driver. Note - I didn't think I had 400 dvds but it is basically full. I do have a lot of sets and some old style sets that take up more room, but I thought I'd have extra space and I don't have much. So in my book, it has delivered what it promised. ETA - almost 3 years later the spinner is working with no problem. So FYI

The quality is really good for this piece. Spins as it should with ease and flexible for CD's, DVD and VHS. A nice organizational addition to our house, it's great to get everything in an accessible spot vs on miscellaneous shelves throughout the house. The ONE thing I would change are the directions to put the unit together. There are 4 tall, large pieces and 4 tall, smaller pieces that are awkward to attach to each other by a center screw initially. I was impressed I could pull it off by myself however not without frustration. Also, the directions weren't clear how each would attach to the other, I basically had most of it together and found I did it completely wrong and had to tear it all apart again (because of the holes for shelves) This comes in 2 HEAVY boxes (again speaks to the quality).

This is the second one I have gotten for my collection and looks and better yet, works great. It is easy to assemble by one person, though I recommend help in turning it over when its time in the instructions. Just wish this color was not always priced a few dollars more then the other color options. Holds many dvds and cds in any combination on its adjustable shelves and fully loaded, the spinners (made of plastic) have so far held out well.

This is an excellent item. Was delivered quickly and when I had a problem where I accidentally damaged a part during assembly, Amazon and Pre-Pac were both happy to help with no fuss or questions asked. Pre-pac shipped me a new part at no charge and now I can admire my collection for years to come. This item is worth every penny. The only real negatives are that the instructions can lead to some head scratching and no way you should go about building this on your own.

Several years ago I bought this same tower, I thought it was great. My CD collection filled the tower. However, within a relatively short time the tower was grinding and hard to rotate. It was when I moved and tore the tower apart that I found the problem. The swivel at the base had worn a grove into the raw particle board on the bottom shelf of the tower and it was binding. The sawdust created by this wear also gummed up the very small plastic rollers on the plastic swivel adding to the grinding and jamming. The harder and smoother melamine surface on the base board side of the swivel was still in perfect condition. When the tower is loaded the softer raw furniture board bearing surface on the bottom side of the tower's bottom shelf wears quickly. On the parts label, the manufacturer of the swivel says, "Thin disc turntable giving 360º rotation for use between flat melamine faced boards." Not one melamine surface and one rough unfinished surface as it is used in this product. This time I bought two towers because they are an excellent idea and a very compact way of storing a lot of media. However, the manufacturer still provides the same style of plastic swivel and still does not use this swivel hardware (Titus Plus Turntable 280) as the manufacturer recommends. Before I assembled the units, I purchased a couple of 12 inch metal swivels (turntables) to replace the plastic kits provided. I am sure the plastic swivel kit would function just fine if it were used as the manufacturer recommends, but it isn't. If you are handy you could always laminate the bottom of the tower bottom shelf with a piece of scrap laminate and that should provide a good bearing surface for the plastic swivel kit. You won't regret spending the extra money if you do this, or the extra bit of time fiddling around to mount the metal swivels. A single off set hole has to be drilled in the base board so the screws can attach the metal swivel to the tower bottom. The metal swivel I purchased is rated up to 1000 pounds, so it will easily manage the weight of a full tower. The swivel is usually shown as 'buyers also purchased' on the Amazon listing for the tower. Highly recommended. I still think this tower is a great product and could easily be an excellent product if not for this glaring deficiency. Well, at least now you know how to fix it. Do it before you assemble the tower because when the plastic one starts binding its a real job emptying out a full tower to replace the swivel. Caution, if you do this it may void the manufacturer's warrantee or any product guarantee from Amazon. A risk I'm willing to take.

This item was much taller than I thought it would be but that was my fault for not looking more closely at the dimensions. It can hold a lot of multimedia and the adjustable shelving does make the unit more versatile. I use some of the selves for ornamental items which looks very nice and breaks up the monotony of just multimedia lining the tall unit. My husband put it together with little effort and only required a little assistance from me to hold some pieces together while he fastened the main frame in place. If you buy this unit you really need to know where in your dwelling you wished to place it as to move it up or down some stairs will be difficult as it was very heavy when fully assembled. The structure is sturdy but the swivel mechanism is plastic and not sturdy. Our unit is not filled to the max and it is a bit difficult to turn but then I am not particularly strong. My husband can turn it more easily and he thinks it’s fine for our needs. This unit works ok but I think the plastic swivel mechanism may not last. I can see why some people buy a metal lazy-susan when they purchase these units and perhaps it would enable the unit to turn more easily.

I only received 1 of the 2 boxes. I contacted the company (Prepac) and they were unwilling to send 2nd box, even though I was willing purchase. Bad customer service! Amazon was great and refunded my money. Now I am stuck trying to dispose of unuseable parts. Also, the parts look like cheap particle board with damaged assembly holes. I would not recommend.