Avista TV Stand

We needed a stand for a new 55" Hig Def Plasma TV. The top-of-the-line Panasonic weighs about 100 lbs, so it required a substantial stand. I went to look at TV stand offerings at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and even two large local furniture stores. What I found in all these places were poor quality units, made of pressboard or fiberboard. Upon examination of their instruction manuals, almost all of them were rated for TV's that weighed LESS than 100 lbs. Not only were they of poor quality, but they also looked it. We needed something that looked like a piece of fine furniture to blend in with the other room furnishings.Giving up the thought of purchasing something locally, I began researching TV stands using the internet, and came across the Avista brand website. Based on the description and pictures it was exactly what I was looking for. Real wood front, tempered glass shelves (top one 150 lb. weight capacity), steel frame which folds out to form the base structure. I was a little leary about purchasing a piece of furniture without being able to actually see and touch it prior to purchase. But, after reading some great reviews about it on Amazon, I went ahead and made the purchase.I was concerned about the condition that glass shelves would be in upon arrival, knowing how UPS and FedEx throw packages around while in transit. I found the carton left outside my front door, with several holes punched into the cardboard sides, most corners smashed, I shipping "strap" missing, overall looking like someone used it as a punching bag. Upon opening the carton I was pleasantly surprised to find absolutely NO damage to any component. The manufacturer must know how these units are tortured while in transit, and they came up with a comprehensive packaging system that protects the contents well. There is an abundance of styrofoam around the components, and much of it got shreaded where the carton was punched in, but it did protect the glass shelves.Assembly of the unit is a snap and no tools are required. It is a very well constructed, high quality, elegant piece of furniture. On a scale of 1 to 10 it's a 9.5 with everything else I saw at the local furniture or electronic stores a 2 at best. I would highly recommend this unit. It is a great value...and looks stunning.

The unit arrived damaged with two scratches on the front faces, but the most troublesome was two screws that had been glued into one of the rounded corner pieces had completely come out, and the plastic bushing at their base was broken, as well as one of the wood dowels was broken in half. (See the pic). The screws had become dislodged and the glued seal broken because it was shipped ATTACHED to the front panel. Really?? The other side wing was wrapped separately, and NOT attached and it was fine. Also, one of the locking nuts was stripped out of the box, making it difficult to unlock it and get the damaged screw out.So, I'm returning this and ordering a replacement in hopes that the replacement unit will be better. I'm only doing this because so many people here have given rave reviews and had no issues with their units, that I feel I've at least got a 50/50 chance that the next one will be better. Amazon was GREAT about sending out a replacement (one-day shipping no less!), so when the new one arrives, I'll update this review based on that one's condition.Otherwise, the unit seems really easy to assemble, and it looks great. Great color (is darker than the redwood description, but is actually what we wanted), so if the replacement unit arrives undamaged, then I would give this a positive review.UPDATE: The replacement unit arrived, and guess what? It was packed the same way as the first one with the leg supports attached, and one of the leg supports (the curved piece that goes on the right and left sides) had come loose during shipping, and the screws and the glue were ripped out of the adjoining piece. (See the newly attached photos). Also, the dowel was broken again. So my wife, who's knowledgeable in wood-working, had to use an awl to dig out the glue from where the screws had been ripped, and re-glue the screws into place. Once done, we finished assembling the unit with no issues, OTHER than the top glass piece is not secured to the unit at all, but instead rests on little silicone dots (which you have to apply) that are meant to add as skid deterrents. Good luck in an earthquake as the glass and your TV will topple off the top in nothing flat.Once assembled and components in place, the unit is really beautiful, and we really like the way it looks and makes the corner of the room look. The company just needs to read the complaints here about how the units are shipped, and stop shipping the front piece and the side legs attached. If the unit arrived without the damage due to the way it's packaged, it would be very easy to assemble, and looks great. Avista, are you listening?

I was very skeptical about glass being shipped but when the heavy box arrived and I opened it everything was packaged carefully and beautifully. Really simple to put together too. The only problem I had was where to put the anti skid dots that came with the stand. Although shown on the diagram I found it difficult to follow that part of the diagram. I called Avista but their phone line was busy for hours. Then I emailed them and did get a response about a day later. By that time I had taken a guess as to where the anti skid dots were to go. When they did call me back, I told them they need to better their diagram of the placement of the anti skid dots. The told me even if I was having trouble they would lift off and I could reset them where there were any wobbles. I did not have that problem though. Putting the stand together was easy and I am delighted with how it looks and it supports my 55 inch Sony and my other components perfectly. Great product! The glass is thick and tempered with a smoky black finish, it looks very rich. The wood on the stand is pretty close to the color you see in the picture. I am happy with this stand and will buy another one for my next purchase of another TV for my living room.