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Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2025
Starting with the positives: This is actually real wood and not particle board. The kneeler is padded, which was a nice surprise because the description didn't state that (or if it did, I missed it). It is reasonably comfortable and sturdy* for use. I'm 5'10 and ~215lbs and the ergonomics of the prayer bench are comfortable for me. Even the pad on the kneeler seems sufficient for my knees which, again, was a nice surprise. There's ample space on the shelf for a couple of prayer books, and a rosary pouch. It would hold an average sized bible, but if you have a massive study bible or a large print edition, I don't know that you'd be able to store it in the bench.The cons: *I had said that this was sturdy enough, and it is, but you get what you pay for. My hardware kit only included one wooden peg to use with the bolts that secure the kneeler to the frame; I couldn't say whether that is standard or a defect with my kit because the instructions make no reference to the wooden peg at all. It seems to be a metric size so I couldn't find an exact match at Lowe's, but I found one that's maybe a mm smaller. Adding this second peg (and wood glue) improved the stability. I almost wonder if the bench is meant to fold into the frame. The cross that mounts on the cross beam of the frame doesn't have a guide hole of any kind drilled into the cross beam; I was anxious about cracking the wood when I put it in, however this wasn't an issue at all. That beam is a little wobbly because it only secures with one bolt on each side, but this doesn't impact the stability of the bench. The hardware kit includes caps for all of the bolt holes, but they're a little loose and fall out easily. I added some wood glue to each of these as well. The other real negative is that the directions are not as detailed as what you get with other assembly-required furtniture that you get. The pic I included is literally all you get. If you've assembled a few things from IKEA before, you'll be able to figure out what to do.This seems to be money well-spent.
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