Techni Mobili Complete Computer Workstation Desk, 38" W x 22" D x 35" H, Woodgrain

Well, my son is into gaming and now he has a few PC games he is enjoying. As a HS junior we agreed it was time for him to have his OWN computer set-up in his room (sans internet) instead of using the main Family Room computer. So, doing my due-diligence and armed with the aggregate knowledge of Amazon reviewers, I went on a quest for the ideal desk. Durability. Cost effectiveness (not just CHEEEEP....but reasonable for value.) I ruled out 100% the glue-and sawdust junk. Amazing that these desks can go into hundreds of dollars too. Then I found THIS. REAL METAL and NOT junk sawdust. The faux-wood parts of this desk, while made of wood composite (maybe a deluxe sawdust and glue, who knows...) are SUPERBLY manufactured. Pre-drilled, ID'd and numbered. Hard, smooth, and looks durable. Powder-coated silver square-tubular frame. All screws are individually packaged. The instructions are fairly good, I think, if you can read (or dare I say CHOOSE to read...) and can follow a schematic. I'll give the instructions a "B". I've seen better, but I've seen much worse. They even give you a mini-philips screwdriver (the throw away kind).It took me about an hour to slap together. It IS true that the screw holes (actually the threaded metal inserts) may not be aligned precisely. Just take your handy-dandy freebie philips screwdriver, stick it into the threaded insert in the hole and just wiggle it a tad. The threaded insert will then line up properly. I have no idea why some comments complain about complexity. Just put it together systematically, looking carefully at the schematic. It's not rocket science, but there is a step-by step process provided. Thirty minutes to an hour at most. It really looks nice. It's compact and fits my space perfectly (although I believe that there are larger styles available). Oh...the PRICE. That's the beauty of this thing. At $87 it's REALLY hard-to-beat in a sea of pricey sawdust-and-glue desks. Given the lower storage area for a "desktop" computer - and in view of the soon demise of these - I'll likely come up with a more creative use for the space since I'm also getting an Amazon small profile refurb. computer for my son along with a 24" Monitor. Amazon really pulls it together.Just think of the time, gas, and tax saved......even keeps your car insurance rates down, eliminates parking lot dings in your doors and stretches your tire life since the mileage is lower for the year...thanks, Amazon!

This sturdy little desk is working out well. It saved me a lot of space but still provides a nice work surface while having space for the stuff I need. I used the high platform for a lamp, router and cable modem. My printer/fax device is on a separate cart beside the desk. It is too big for this desk. I have my LCD mounted to the wall near the desk so that leaves the fat part of the upper surface fully clear for work a cup of coffee, etc.I was worried about the CPU space being large enough, but it's fine. My CoolerMaster case is about 17-inches tall and 19-inches deep and it fit in there fine. The total height of the CPU area is a little over 18½ inches. I didn't use the CD holder. I have a telephone on that side. The slide out tray fits my large Canon scanner but doesn't slide out far enough to open the scanner lid far enough. It's not really a problem and obviously the tray can only slide out so far and still bear the weight of the scanner. The drawer is a nice plus on this. Pens, calculator, small USB devices, etc. go in there.Assembly was pretty straightforward. Lining up some of the holes with the metal frame was a bit tricky, but once I got the hang of it, it was no problem. The desk goes together solidly and can easily be moved. The woodgrain color is sort of orange as some have said, but the ruddy color kind of grows on you after a while. If you need a small desk that is still quite functional to work at, put this one on your list. It's quite nice.note: I'm pretty sure Amazon has the wrong picture of the Charcoal desk. I've seen some other pictures of it and it is styled exactly like the Woodgrain one, only it's Charcoal colored.

This is one sweet little desk. I've been watching this design for a little over a year and a half, primarily at another site where there were originally two different desks of nearly identical design. Over a period of time, they fell in price as one manufacturer, then the other, dropped their prices until only one manufacturer remained. What continually interested me about the desk was its size and attractive design. In my secluded space, the old desk interfered with a credenza that still sits to the left of my desk and hindered the opening of the drawers. But the main reason I became reluctant to purchase the desk was my fear that I would not be able to fit my 23" monitor and two speakers on a shorter desk top area, and that the absence of a mouse area on the keyboard would prove to be somewhat awkward. Finally I decided to put it to the test and purchased the desk here at Amazon.The building of the desk was very straight forward. There are not a great number of individual pieces, and even the desk drawer itself was completely assembled. So once the desk top and three metal uprights were rested against the wall, and the few wood and screw packages were stacked side-by-side, there was a surprising amount of room left to build. I encountered only one problem in putting the desk together: Two of the four screws that secure the wooden stretcher between the first two metal uprights did not want to thread. Try as I may the screws would not screw in. Then I noticed that the round metal inserts in the stretcher that the screws thread into (the ones with a shallow slot in the heads) were turned, and the tops of the heads were nearly flush with the wood. After turning the heads slots to line up with the screw opening and seating them by tapping them down, the screws threaded without a problem.Throughout the build, I found all the holes in the desk parts to be very accurately predrilled, and all the hardware fitted together nicely. Installing the drawer assembly and the slide-out shelf was a bit challenging at times but very doable. The only issue was the keyboard which I touch on below.I had two original concerns that became three.1. One concern was fitting my 23" monitor with two speakers on each side of it (each speaker is 3-1/2" wide by 6" in length). As it turned out, there is ample space on the desk top because the printer shelf is set back about 10" from the front. Great design. In reality, the desk top has a lot of space.2. The second issue was a bit of a surprise, because I didn't expect it. When the build was complete, I put my keyboard on the keyboard tray, but the pretty little curve on the front of the tray caused it to be a bit unstable, because each end of the straight keyboard itself hung over the edge almost an inch at each end due to the curve (the feet at each end of the keyboard had nothing to rest on). It should be mentioned that if you have a large keyboard, you may need to address this potential problem because the only answer seemed to be to slide the keyboard back until both its front feet were on the tray itself to allow for the curve. But that only compounded the next problem. When I added my soft Belkin wrist pad and slid the keyboard back further to accommodate it, the keyboard's top row of keys as well as the function keys nearly disappeared under the desk top. When I measured the length of the keyboard tray's travel, I found it to be only 7" from the front edge of the desk top. My solution was the following: (1) I removed the keyboard tray and (2) turned it around which put that pretty little curve at the back. (3) I slid the keyboard tray forward almost 2" from its original location to a point where the back of the tray rested very close to the slide's rear metal tabs. (4) After measuring very carefully, I drilled four 3/32" holes in the bottom of the tray for its new location and (5) re-installed the tray. After these adjustments, the keyboard slid out nearly 9" and was flush with the front edge of the desk top when closed. The keyboard itself is now fully visible and stable.3. The third issue for me involved the location of the mouse pad - it was my primary concern. Of course if you have a keyboard without ten keys, there is sufficient space on the keyboard tray to fit the mouse. To most people with full sized keyboards, however, perhaps the mouse location may not an issue at all. But from the center-front of the keyboard, the reach distance to the shelf which holds the mouse turned out to be continually uncomfortable for me - even before I readjusted the keyboard. So I purchased a clamp-on mouse platform that attaches to the keyboard tray and is easy to reach. It also can be swiveled under the keyboard tray. Some people like these mouse platforms as I do ... some do not. After reviewing a few negative comments about them, it seemed that it almost bordered on hatred. But in spite of that, I found a few types available here at Amazon and selected the more expensive one made by Aidata. There are pro's and con's for nearly everything we buy for computers, but this mouse platform has more pro than con for me. It's usable pad area measures a generous 8" by 8" and sits close to my side at a fairly comfortable height (at least for me) although it would be more comfortable if it were higher. It is nicely stable and contains click stops that allow it to retain its position when swiveled to where it is wanted. For such a platform, the added 2-1/2" projection of the keyboard tray from the front end of the slide allows the platform to be attached to the side end of the tray rather than to just the front end. It can also be easily swiveled out of the way for sliding open the drawer or top shelf of the desk when either are needed. And when the platform is swiveled under the keyboard tray, it does not interfere with the tray's closing.For those who are concerned about their printer fitting, the shelf measures 17-3/4" wide by a little more than 11-3/4" deep. As mentioned above, the shelf is set back about 10" from the front edge of the desk which frees up a significant amount of space on the desk top itself. I have two printers that fit without a problem - the larger measures 15-1/4" wide by 13-1/4". The larger overhangs a little over 2", but the inset feet rest firmly on the printer shelf.The end result of all this is that the drawers of my credenza now open without interference due to the lesser desk width. After working with this sweet little desk for some time, I am convinced that, overall, it is both attractive and a very functional desk design.