StarTech.com 12U AV Rack Cabinet - 21” Deep - Wood Finish - Floor Standing Enclosure for 19" Audio Video Component, Server Room & Network Equipment (RKWOODCAB12)

Overall the Rack only took about 45 minutes to put together (and that included adding some acoustic foam since I was putting this in my living room). The foam may not have been essential, but the 10Gb switch (Netgear) could get loud, so I was being cautious. With a rack-mounted UPS in the bottom, the unit is fairly self-contained and looks MUCH better than the table I had it on before. Depending on how you configure the Rack, and any Shelves, it can become very dense and tight to work. Nothing you shouldn't expect, but, if you are like me, you will feel your age when you finish.

This review is specifically for the Startech 12U dark wood rack, product number: RKWOODCAB12 I've been after a server rack for a while but I did not want a full size unit since I want it to sit in the living room / near my desk. This Startech unit was one of the only products that I found that was close to my needs (the other being the quiet Startech rack). The dark wood finish was appealing as it mostly matches my other office / home furniture. I received the rack as a flatpack (the description is incorrect in this respect for this item, I knew it would be flat pack ahead of time though) and was surprised at the weight. There was some tearing damage to the outer packaging but nothing affected any of the parts in any major way. There was one small nick on the very bottom corner on the outside front-edge but nothing worth reporting. A wood finish pen would make it hardly noticeable. Before assembly, I carefully inventoried all pieces - nothing was missing. I was at first a little concerned by the black veneer pieces, but the majority was dark finished. I then checked all the screw and dowel holes but did not see anything wrong with any of them. Assembly took longer than it should have because, I foolishly managed to have the base upside down so had to disassemble it to flip it over to fit the castors. A couple of the locking pins were a little awkward to reach but overall it was fairly straight forward. I did not notice anything out of alignment or incorrectly drilled. Many of the important screw points are pre-tapped with metal receptacles making for an easier time. The end result looks pretty good. I have so far installed a 2U CyberPower 1500VA UPS that just fits (the rails for it just fit between the rack stands), Ubiquiti UDM Pro and 24 Pro PoE switch. I will be adding 2 short 2U 8-bay NAS units soon. Couple of things: there is not a lot of clearance between the front glass door and the rack itself. The handles of the NAS would not fit and the network cables press against it. Other than the gaps around the glass door, there are no additional air holes for ventilation - only at the rear. I think it would be better to forgo the glass in favour of a steel mesh grill to allow for better air flow. The 2 fan mounts at the rear I have installed 2 92mm USB fans and that has helped drop the temps of the Ubi gear a few degrees. It would be better if these had been 120mm fan mounts for better are flow. Again the rear has a solid piece of wood but it would be better if it was a mesh grill to better exhaust heat. Working inside it can be a little tight but otherwise it's been fine. Cable routing is always a chore, and I think it would have been nice if there were some channels pre-milled to allow for cable routing.

Very nice, high quality, rich-looking, equipment rack. I used this in a nursing home chapel to house the audio equipment. Even though it is visible at the front of the room, it is certainly not an eyesore like a standard rack could be. It is very sturdy, yet it disassembles and reassembles easily, when you've realized that your associate put the top on backwards : )

Bought this unit two weeks ago great buy easy to put together straight forward instructions very sturdy glad I bought it

This is not made of real wood. I can't believe I just paid over $800 for a piece of particle board trash. Fell apart before I even finished assembling it. I have 7-foot solid wood bookcases sitting in my office that cost less than half as much as this cabinet. Looks cheap too, like something you would buy for a college dorm room and expect to toss at the next move (particle board furniture is not covered by most movers' insurance policies, by the way, so keep that in mind when considering such an investment). Again, let me make this clear: what you get is some metal hardware (some of it nice, some of it totally unsuitable for the intended purpose, like cam-and-stud screw fasteners instead of sturdy steel angle brackets), casters, a tempered glass window; but the rest of the unit consists of the same lousy particle board you would find in a $25 department store bookcase with some cheap veneers slapped on. This is a complete rip-off. You are better off going to Ikea, getting a solid wood cabinet, and building in the rails yourself. Or, better yet, buying a steel rack and building an enclosure around it with plywood or the like. At least the holes were drilled in the right places, although to incorrect depths.