Dura-Trel 11201 Hillcrest Potting Bench

This is a big potting bench. It is meant to be my mom's Mother's Day gift, so I don't have her reaction to it yet, but I believe she'll love it. There are lots of parts to put together, and not all fit perfectly. That said, this was easier to assemble than many build-it-yourself items I've run across. It seems reasonably sturdy. I believe it will serve the purpose, holding 3-4 pots at a time with dirt, plants and tools. My main reason for buying this is to see if it can resist weather. We have a wood bench right now, and in our wet and cold climate, it has not held up well. I suspect the PVC type needs to be housed indoors during the worst of the winter, but hopefully it can handle all of our spring-through-fall weather and last several years. I'll try to report back once it has seen some time in action.

After reading the reviews. we started out by laying out all the pieces and numbering them. All were there. The color is bright white. You need open floor space to assemble, cordless electric drill for the screws and a square to even all up. We also used some clamps to hold the upper shelf together. It took about 2 hours to complete. Insturctions could be written better, but take your time and follow the steps in order for success. Potting bench is very durable, stable, not wobbly, and HUGE. will be a good space for potting. Or attractive enough for display counter at pool, porch, garage, etc. When completed we noticed the bottom post were open and hollow. My thought...over time it would sink into dirt and fill up. We capped the bottom (same caps as the top, purchased from Lowes) so this would not happen. Then we thought that might prevent water that may get into it from moving out. We will have to see and may need to take off the bottom post caps. Caps have points, so bench may wobble on hard surfaces. Attaching pictures for you to see. My husband who is assembling it is 5'3" so you can see the height. Looking forward to using the bench.

This came with missing parts, wrong parts and parts from some other item. Had to cut new holes to assemble. Would never buy this product again.

This was my experience too: “Where holes were to have been pre-drilled there were no holes! The self-tapping screws didn't. Nothing was on the square. Parts were milled improperly. Sure, I got it together but I doubt there is a right angle anywhere on it. I had to use a drill and assorted bits to conquer the reluctance of the bench legs to accept those less than penetrable screws.” by Eugene F. Hodal Jr.Folks who say this bench is easy to assemble must have received something different from what came to me. If the manufacturer had just paid more attention to these details, this would be a fine bench.

Not an easy stand to put together. We received two left front legs and not enough screws. Short 4 screws. Customer service sent us the orrect needed leg and a opened screw bag with four screws. Thought the couId have thrown in a bag of screws. Isnt completely stable. It does look nice but I was a bit disappointed in the product.

The product is good, but the instructions aren't great and a fair number of the holes have not been drilled. It would be nice if they would give you a couple of extra screws, too, for this price. Kind of surprising inattention to detail (is it really that hard for the manufacturer to get it right, especially when so many people have observed this?). But with some time anyone who is the least bit handy and has a drill can figure it out. Pretty sturdy when you get it put together. Overall I am pleased despite the annoyances.

Only came with two post covers, had to buy two more from Home Depot, but otherwise happy with the product.

Very nice product! Solid, very well thought out and it looks great! Follow the instructions and assembly is not a problem. You do need to make sure the screws grab and seat properly, sucking both pieces together for a tight fit. Put it together yesterday morning and I've used it all weekend. I did use stainless steel screws to attached the 4 post caps as well as the table top assemble. That gives me the option of modifying, or customizing it in the future.I think it would be great if they offered a version a bit wider and had a built in sink. Just my 2 cents!