I was looking for a coffee table for my home office/work room when I discovered that there were some that lifted to become work stations. I have used a different assemble-yourself brand for the rest of my office furniture and I'm very happy with that brand. I always feel compelled to price-shop at least a little, and this product showed up in my search at a significantly lower price. I liked the design, as the crossed bars on the ends matched other pieces in my office. I love that there's storage inside the coffee table. The three open cubbies underneath provide even more room for whatever I want to put there. But my absolute favorite feature is the lift-up top. It's solid, sturdy, and stable when it's raised. I have no fears that it might collapse or drop while I'm using it. A portion of the room where I have my office has transformed into a second family room. There's a futon/couch facing a large television where my family often gravitates, so this purchase was mainly to provide a coffee table where we could set our drinks. It serves that purpose quite well, but I'm utilizing it much more as a work desk or for casual dining with my family while watching a movie. It's the right height for my laptop and is actually more comfortable for that use than my office desk. When my husband and I take a coffee break together, I just raise the table. If my daughter and I watch a movie in the evening, we eat our meal at the table. Because the top lifts up and forward, there's no need to be bending over to reach our plate. The same is true of working on my laptop when the top is lifted; I can sit comfortable with my back straight.I raise and lower the table top multiple times a day and the mechanism is just as smooth every time. Another thing I like is that when the top is raised or lowered it's like it's hydraulic - it does so very smoothly and slowly. If I have drinks sitting on the table, I can safely leave them there as I raise or lower the top. I should also add that this coffee table was easy to assemble, as I did so without any help. Overall, I'm extremely pleased with this product and highly recommend it.