Side by Side Comparison of: Alera vs AmazonBasics

I purchased the medium cherry color, 48 inch wide. I don't like desks that face the wall (why?!?!) so I wanted a desk that can face the room without exposing my feet, the computer tower and the wires. I love the Alera. I'm a 5.5 tall 135 lb woman and I was able to put this together by myself in one hour (not my preference but I had to). I have found some shelves that fit nicely under it and because the shell goes all the way down you can't see them. It gives a cleaner look to the room. Be careful about the shipping though. The desk took 5 days to arrive. The delivery company called three times to confirm the address (odd). I live in an apartment complex and the delivery truck was not able to drive into my subdivision because of it's size. I had to get in my car and go to the entrance, pick it up and take it up three flights of stairs by myself- the delivery guy said it was a liability if he helped. The desk is very heavy (96lb) so I had to open the box in my car and bring up piece by piece.

I've been using this desk for a while now and have had no problems with it. I received it quickly and it has been the absolute best desk I have ever owned. It doesn't feel cheap and even if you scratch it it's hard to notice. There was also a small scratch repair crayon type of thing that is good for reducing the look of any of the scratches that you notice too much.This desk can be quite a pain to put together by yourself so be prepared to have a second person especially considering the parts can be pretty heavy.

Arrived faster than I expected and the assembly went well. The process is a two man job but I did it alone - desk is nice and sturdy.

This desk is amazing!After searching for a very long time for a rather plain desk that fits a very specific size requirement I ran across this desk shell.I didn't want a keyboard tray, I didn't want drawers, I didn't want a built in monitor stand. I just wanted a desk! And if you're looking for an incredibly solid straight up desk for a really good price, this is it.The desk looks fantastic, it's not flimsy at all. It's serving it's purpose for me absolutely perfectly.Be aware, that it's incredibly heavy. Like really really heavy.I had to do the assembly prep work in a different room, and then take it in pieces into the destination room. And I'll have to take it apart to get it out of this room when it's time to move.

Absolutely beautiful product, Love how great it is, quality is wonderful, and im a very picky guy, there is no side cutout for power strip which is fine in my case but if you were looking, look at the picture. The product is very heavy so unless you are good at putting stuff together, have another person as a helper when assembling. t weighs about 120 lbs, so be careful with weight. Finish is wonderful, and the product itself is beautiful, this is delivered by courier, AKA freight tractor trailer, so if you dont have save in driveway like myself, arrange so you can meet the driver either by contacting the driver directly the day delivered or contacting the seller. You will need 2 people to carry product off truck and into house. Overall, i am very satisfied with this desk ( and i was very picky).

Great desk, exactly what I expected -- which was a sturdy, large, office-quality desk with no frills.Desk surface is edged with some kind of plastic like you find in office cubicles. It feels like it's not going to be damaged anytime soon. The surface is some kind of matte laminate, on top of a dense particle board. Again, like you find in offices.I measured the length and it is actually 71". Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. You probably want the extra inch for clearance anyway if you're fitting it somewhere tight.This thing is HEAVY. 150 lbs, and the desk panel alone probably weighs 70 pounds if not more (a wild guesstimate).Do as another reviewer said and flip the desk right side up before putting the top panel on. Just be careful not to move the joints of the I shaped piece as you flip it, since it does not have the structural support of the top panel yet. If you can get a second person to help you for the last step, the better (although I did it alone).The instructions are clear and simple.The plastic bottoms on the feet of the desk left some black residue on the carpet, as I dragged the desk into place (again, it's heavy). Probably disintegrated as the friction heated up. No big deal, looks like it will vacuum out.if you're putting a computer on this desk, mind the length of your monitor, keyboard, and speaker cables, etc. -- this thing is so long, it is straining the lengths of my cables.There are some nice grommets for cable routing. The grommets lead to the side of the desk where your legs are (not behind the "modesty panel"). Seems obvious, but I confirmed it. There's one grommet on each side. There aren't any other holes for cable routing, so if you do route cables underneath the desk (i.e.: power), you'll have to run them out the front of the desk, curving along the sides to whatever power outlet is near. Seems like a design oversight, but whatever. You could probably drill your own small holes if needed.This desk doesn't come with drawers (like one of the pictures shows) in case you are wondering. However there are plenty of spare screw holes if you do decide to get the drawers, so seems like they will attach easily.

This chair was delivered less than 25 minutes ago. Since then, I have unpackaged everything (5 min), assembled the chair (14 min), set the height and tilt tension (1 min) and logged in to write this review.Each piece was packaged independently. The only slightly confusing part was installing the seat onto the base. When you put the support post in place, the white 'button' looking thing should be up -- that's what the chair seat connects to (I had the white thing facing the floor, which was incorrect). Aside from that, Amazon makes it SUPER easy with clear instructions and labeling on each piece. (which side faces front, etc). Even the bolts are individually bagged by group, with identification, with another bag containing an extra of each bolt.Granted, I've only been sitting for long enough to type this review, but the chair is reasonably comfortable. The back padding is substantial, as is the seat itself. Surely I could have found a better chair if I wanted to spend the time trying them out at Staples, but for my money and time, this is the very best I could imagine it would be.

Absolutely love this chair. It's comfortable and of good quality. I would absolutely recommend this product.

Our office chair of many years broke and needed replacing. It had a high back and arms. We wanted something less bulky and this fit the bill nicely. Comfort is good and and everything works as advertised. 5 stars because of the great value.

I'm happy I went with this chair! It's actually a good quality desk chair at a decent price. It was easy to put together (it took me maybe 5 minutes) and it's comfortable. The only issue I have/had was the plastic sleeves for the gas shock slide off when I took that part out of the box and I didn't realize those sleeves existed until after I put the chair together. Now I can't get the chair apart to put those on (at least I know the chair won't fall apart on me lol). It has a tilt feature that you can leave free or lock into a position, and the height adjusts quickly and easily. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a good chair on a budget.

--Good quality product--Plain and simple design, yet comfortable--Doesn't have any squeaking sound--AffordableI am happy with the product! Highly recommended for people looking for budget yet comfortable chair!

This chair was incredibly easy to put together!!! :) It took me about 10 minutes and I am not mechanically inclined. The instructions were very easy to follow and I was given extra screws as well. It goes together with an allen wrench, which is supplied. I have never before in my life used an allen wrench let alone seen one, but it was very easy. I am a 55-yr. old disabled woman and get confused easily, but this is the easiest piece of furniture I have ever assembled all by myself and I have put together a couple of vacuum cleaners and a rug cleaner. The chair is incredibly comfortable as well. It also rolls pretty good on carpeting. Thank-you for making it soooo easy!!!

Easy to put together except one corner of the desk is having a hard time connecting to the top part. It's together but you can see light shine through indicating it's not together completely. I think when I move these eventually it will cause a problem and disconnect but while it's sitting in the office it's doing its job just fine!

heavy, very heavy dont try to move alone, but thats a good thing, nobody wants a flimsy desk , very nice quality though IMO the pass-throughs should be to the back of the privacy screen but i understand why theyre not, maybe matching pass-throughs in the privacy screen for those who are not using in a public space where they would want there wiring hidden from the seating area

the vertical support under the desk is closer to the middle of the desk than the back leaving it short on leg space for a tall person. easily fixed once together with a skill saw. otherwise the desk is great. large size, easy to put together (took me 20 minutes tops) and sturdy. it could use a few holes in the vertical piece for cords and cables, but again, easily fixed. still sturdy once i removed a fairly large section of the vertical for leg room.

This desk is worth the money compared to others in the same category. Delivery was outrageously fast, like 2 days, but boy was it heavy. I recommend two people build this desk. It's possible with one person, but like I mentioned, its heavy. The desk doesn't have a gloss finish, so it can scratch easily with sharp items. Overall good buy.

It's the perfect size, it was fairly easy to put together by myself but it would have been a breeze with a second person.The only thing I don't like about it is how the back piece is set in about 6 inches from the true back of the desk, which reduces leg room. This would be fine with me except for the fact that the cable grommets do not route cable out the backside of the desk, and instead through the inside of the desk. I don't keep things under my desk so that was not ideal. But if you had a tower and a printer under there I suppose it would be worthwhile.All in all, great value. Only gave it 4 stars for the grommet placement and shortened leg room.

I love the desk it is HUGE and better quality than I expected. The shipping company, however, was a nightmare. I've never had so many problems getting a package. I believe the company was something like land, air and.... When I finally got the notes they were leaving when I wasn't home I called to schedule a delivery time (the following Monday morning). They never showed up on Monday so I called and it had not been put in the system. So I scheduled a delivery for Tuesday morning. They never came so I called again and told the delivery would be there that afternoon. At this point they had asked for my phone number and I had given it 3 times. When the package finally arrived the one delivery guy was not able to move the desk by himself so I had to help him. He opened it up ON THE TRUCK and then was surprised it fell out of the box while coming off the truck. It was a three ring circus while we ran around trying to get the desk back in the box (it got scraped up in the process) and then carry it to the door. I will never use that shipping service again if I can help it and recommend the seller finds someone else for this item.

very comfortable but careful if your bum is not on it all the way...I've fallen forward a few times

Comfortable. Be sure to get the height adjustment right. I had it a bit too high and felt like I was sliding off the chair. Lowering it helped a lot

Decent chair, but the cushioning on the bottom wears down pretty fast with regular usage.

I purchased this chair for a pre-teen boy who weighs about 80lbs. He is very pleased with the chair, and for the price I would say it was worth it. I personally prefer something a bit harder, and more ergonomic with arms; I feel like I am sitting on a pillow when I sit on this chair.The packaging was decent, and the chair was easy to put together. I was able to put the chair together in less than 30 minutes. Overall I am content with my purchase.

I purchased this chair online because this was exactly what I was looking for. No more, no less. I liked that it did not have arms, and I didn't want a chair that could adjust in every way imaginable, except what would make me feel comfortable. Three standouts: I think it has just the right amount of padding for me, the fabric has a good "mesh" like quality that seems to wear well, and the 5-point leg base is metal. Other chairs I've owned like this had a plastic base. Works as advertised!

Ordered for myself. After my husband put it together (10 whole minutes), he sat in it, made a sound only animals understand and then he stole it. I'm back now to order another for myself.

Solid and easy to put together, but the stain it's finished with tends to rub off on things.

The desk itself is great. However I find the leg room small. The "back wall" sits almost in the middle of the depth, leaving about 60% depth as leg room. So you can never stretch your legs.

Does not come with drawers as the picture shows.

So this is an early review I will preface with that.ProsEasy to assemblepricesturdy constructionCons"Tilt Lock" this was the primary reason I purchased this chair, I may have been able to realize this chair does not do what I expected had I research more carefully. They advertise this chair to have "Tilt Lock" feature, and it does... but it wasnt what I expected from this feature. What I mean is that you can pull the control arm out and allow the chair to tilt (although it is very resistant I had to literally push off the ground to get it to tilt) but there is no locking that can happen while you are tilted. This is what I expected and this is why I am mostly unhappy with this product. So to reiterate more simply. The chair can tilt but can only lock in the upright position which means you cannot set the chair to have a tilt.comfort - sadly this suffers for me because of the "tilt lock" being forced to sit in a very upright position all the time is not comfortable for me.I plan on updating this down the road as I dont have funds to immediately replace this thing, and I have hopes to wear the tilt feature down so maybe it tilts more freely (oh and yes I turned the tilt resistance all the way down.)

This was purchased for my husband's computer desk at home and he told me recently that after an hour of sitting on it the screw holding the seat on pokes him in a very uncomfortable place. Will likely have to get an additional cushion for extended sitting (he plays video games).Otherwise, it seemed to be easy enough to put together and it works great for just a short period of use.

The material used to cover the chair feels like sandpaper. You cannot sit on this chair wearing shorts, unless you're a gorilla. Even then, you may have an issue. I needed to drape a scarf over it. I'll go next time with a higher priced chair that actually is comfortable on the skin.

The material is a lot rougher than I thought it would be. And the chair (despite the knob on the bottom) does not lean back even a little. It serves its purpose as a chair but I am sure I wont be keeping this chair for too long. It's alright for a temporary chair.

This is the second identical chair I purchased and while it serves its function well, the seat padding fails rather quickly. Maybe it would last longer if I lost a little weight but it feels like I'm sitting on a board in less than a year.

The bottom seat is already flattening out more than I though it might, but realistically, it was only $60, so you can't expect miracles. If you sit all day long, this probably isn't the chair for you.

Not a good quality seat. After about a year of use, the seat is basically like sitting on a wood chair. There just isn't any substance to this seat, and I'm only around 150 pounds. It hurts to sit in this chair for an extended period of time.After using this chair, I would absolutely not recommend it. Visually it seems to have held up well, but the seat certainly is not quality.

I am not sure why this chair is so highly rated. The construction and materials seem to be good quality. But comfort is lacking. I don't find it comfortable sitting on it. The front, left and right side of the cushion is too high. It makes me feel like I am sitting in a wok.

bought 6 months ago, comfortable enough, but extremely prone to squeaking. already oiled it once a few months ago and has again been squeaking significantly with oiling barely doing anything. fabric is very abrasive, don't try sitting in it without a shirt or some sort of barrier between your skin and the fabric.

The fabric is scratchy, which is great if you want to scratch your back, but not great otherwise. Crumbs get caught in the big holes. After 9 months, the cushions are completely flattened. Will have to but another chair soon. Wish I'd have just paid $10 for a superior chair.

If you plan on sitting for more than 15 minutes do not buy this chair because you will need to get up every few minutes to keep your back side from going completely numb. The padding is so insufficient that I routinely place another pillow on the seat especially if I need to sit for awhile. Considering the cost of this chair and the complete lack of any seat padding I would not recommend buying. The only plus side is its solid construction and ease of assembly but the lack of comfort far outweigh these two pros.

Not good. Chair started squeeking LOUDLY after ONE WEEK.The foam seems to compress after one hour and the chair becomes uncomfortable (I weigh aprox 160 lb).I would not buy this chair again.Will probably donate it to Goodwill and buy something better. 60 bucks wasted.

The design if this desk is very poor. The back vertical panel is mounted very close to the middle of the desk, leaving limited leg room under the desk. You certainly cannot stretch your legs underneath it. At the very least, they should have provided options for mounting it there (essentially for a two sided desk), or for along the very back of the desk for a one sided desk. I ended up buying my own right-angle brackets and mounting it there.Other than this very poor design, the desk itself is well made, heavy, strong, and looks great.

READ RETURN POLICY

1. Was waiting for a month and a half to be delivered.2. Assembly instruction sucks - holes positions don't match.3. It is really really heavy (weighs more then 160 pounds!!!!!). I had a similar size completely metal (steel and aluminum) desk that weighed less. The problem is not the actual weight, but that bolts and crews that hold it together are flimsy and don't stay in place. You will need at least two strong dudes to lift it up after it is assembled (from both sides), otherwise it will break under its own weight. I broke one side almost immediately, and the other one when I tried to move it a bit to restart my router on the floor behind it.Right now what holds this desk together is its own weight and construction glue I had to apply for the fear it was going to collapse if moved. If you have small kids that like to play seek and hide, and may crawl on or under this desk - beware that it can crash at any moment. I don't think it's worth a third of the price they ask for it.

I guess the desk itself is fine. What wasn't was the shipping. It was brought in a huge semi trailer with almost nothing but the desk in it. As soon as the trucker got out, he started complaining about how he wasn't getting paid to even take it out of the truck, and appeared to expect payment from me for that. Then he left it in the main corridor and laughed when I asked if he was going to help take it up one level to my apartment. There's no way one person can get this up a flight of stairs. Some furniture movers were far more polite and helpful, and got a fat tip for it. Whoever sells this desk uses an awful shipping company. Never buying again.

I really want the desk with Drawer (just like the picture), but came with out, and it is 47" not 48", I will keep complain to whoever can listen!!!

Horrible product. Did not have all components in the box

I have bought hundreds of items on Amazon and never been disappointed until this horrible chair. the most uncomfortable thing one could possibly sit in. I must have read the wrong reviews because I sit at a desk most of the time and cannot use this horrible piece of furniture. No adjustments except height. Uncomfortable in every way. yuk!

Unable to properly assemble, as the pre-drilled holes did not align up with the attachment piece that the seat MUST attach to. Large item - so big hassle to repackage and return.

Lesson learned: don't skimp on an office chair. You truly get what you pay for with this thing. I assembled it in December and it was squeaking loudly a few months later. As another reviewer noted, the cushioning broke down fast. I am not fat. I also don't recommend ordering an office chair online. Go to a store and try the chairs out yourself before you make your decision. That's what I did today, and I couldn't be happier with my newer, more expensive chair that is more comfortable than sitting on the end of a diving board.

Forget waterboarding. If you want to get information from a terrorist, make them sit in this chair. After a few hours, they'll tell all and be begging for mercy. I hate to disagree with all the glowing reviews of this product, but I honestly can't stand this chair. While it is similar in design to the HON Basyx HVL210, which I also own, the similarity ends there. I was initially very impressed with the Amazon model, but to my great dismay the seat padding completely broke down after a few short weeks (I weigh 150 lbs, in case you're wondering). A wooden plank would be more comfortable than this thing. By comparison my HON, itself not a high-end chair, is still in relatively good shape after a year of use. I'm now looking for a replacement for the Amazon torture device- think I'll send this thing to Guantanamo!

Oh, my, my, my. Momma said you get what you pay for and that goes double for this chair. It was the cheapest thing on line and that's why I bought it. The only blessing it has is that it does go up and down, which is what the one it replaces DOES NOT do. The seat is very rough and slightly small for me. It has 5 spokes, but has dumped me off at least 2 times. The back is not supportive (too far back like a rocking chair), and the seat is tilted up at the front (WHAT? you say!) so my legs go to sleep after about a half hour. My advice is to save your pennies until you can afford a REAL chair. Do not buy this one.