Collapsible Faux-Leather Storage Ottoman Bench, Black

I was skeptical at first when I bought this as there was not a lot of reviews at the time I placed my order (only three), so I went into this one with the thought that you get what you pay for. Anyways, it came to my door I opened the box and my first though was I was disappointed. I did not realize that this was one of those "folding" ottomans, for those that don't know what I'm talking about it folds flat like a cardboard box but you can open it fully like a cardboard box unfolded. That is how you start to assemble it, they give you a piece of cardboard that fits flush in the center so it stays perfectly still without moving, and underneath the ottomans cover when you open the package, there is a long black board. It goes in the bottom of the ottoman, underneath the center piece that splits the middle, this is what prevents the ottoman from moving in the bottom area or "folding" when you do all of these steps you have a perfectly still ottoman that looks like a regular ottoman!Everyone has their own reason they buy one of these things, I bought this because I have a lot of Xbox 360 and Wii games and I wanted to put it in something that would hide it (People have a tendency to put my games all over the place) and I also wanted something that would look professional in my bedroom like it is part of the decor. I put a ton of games in this thing, on the left side I put all of my Wii games and on the right side all of the 360 games. I also put controllers and everything inside next to the games, and it all fits flawlessly. I estimate that this could hold about 50+ games on each side! I have about 20 games on each side and it fits really nicely. For those wondering YES, I did sit on this and I weigh 190 pounds and it was sturdy it didn't move, or shake it was solid. So even though it folds, the reinforcement areas do a good job of holding it together. Overall I whole heartedly recommend it! As it gets more full I will update my review and mention how it holds up, great for the price!UPDATE: 10-2015Well here we are, almost 5 years later and it still stands! It's gotten a little banged up because in the 5 years since I originally reviewed this item, the ottoman has moved to two different homes. Every time I move this as well, I never take out the inside contents (Video games), so I actually carry it full and it has not shown signs of crumbling, even while full! Overall, this Ottoman is completely worth the money and will stand with those Ottomans that are double the price, great job HandStands!

Pros:* It holds a good amount of stuff, although I probably wouldn't put anything too heavy in it.* Looks good for the price, perfect for students, singles, maybe kid's/teen's room. For a family room I'd invest in something nicer/sturdier.* Material looks nice, seems easy to clean (but I won't test it). People fairly familiar with leather could probably tell it's not leather, though.* Easy to assemble/deassemble for flat storage if you need to.Cons:* There is noticable play if you sit/stand on it and wiggle around. I feel ok (not great) sitting on it. I would never use it to sit/step on if I was holding anything sharp or fragile.* Like the walls, the sides on the lid feel flimsy...actually more so. Having a sturdy lid would have made it significant better in my opinion, but still not great.* It's a little embarrassing to use for seating because it feels cheap to sit on.* The center divider prevents storage of long items. I already knew about this before purchasing, just pointing it out for people that might have overlooked it in the descriptionSummary:I was initially a bit disappointed, but overall I'm satified with the ottoman for quick, easy storage. I could see it possibly supporting two adults...but they would probably be a little nervous about it, and most of my friends are active adults in their 20s and 30s. I would never put my parents or older relatives on this. If I would have payed more than $60, I would have been unsatified with my purchase, but given the price, the purchase was better than acceptable but not great. I own two other ottomans that are half the size, one I found on Amazon for $32, the other at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $50, I think. Having felt their construction makes it even more obvious that this one isn't as sturdy, so lower your expectations if you know what ottomans usually feel like. I expect my party guests to favor the folding black chairs over this for seating.Good for light storage, temporary seating at an inexpensive price: Overall 3/5

The product showed up in a huge box, but the actual product was quite neatly contained in a rather small box--too small to be an ottoman...we discovered upon opening it up that the ottoman actually pops up from a folded configuration much like a pop-up tent. My initial concern was "How is this pop-up ottoman going to hold the weight of two or three peoples' feet?" but it's solid as a rock despite its construction style.The appearence is quality enough to blend in with the leather sofa we have without looking cheap or out of place. There isn't a hinge on the lid so you'll be removing it in order to get the contents out. The only reason I don't give this product 5 stars is due to the rather thin padding on the lid itself. It seems to me that a thicker layer of foam would've made it a bit more comfortable and a bit closer to the actual height of a standard sofa. As it is now it's a bit shorter than the sofa so our feet are actually at a bit of a decline.All in all though, this is a good value and there's nothing wrong enough with the product to rank it lower than 4 out of 5.

This is a fantastic, all-purpose ottoman. I'm using it as a storage device, footrest, and coffee table in the living room. It's not the biggest ottoman out there, so be sure to check the dimensions to make sure it's the right size for your needs. All parts needed for assembly are shipped in the lid. Assembly took 2 minutes; just open up the main compartment, slide in a nice black cardboard footprint, and then insert a cardboard divider into the black fabric divider already attached to the sides. These two cardboard inserts provide a really firm foundation, and when you slide the lid on the entire thing is remarkably strong. I'm 160lbs and would feel comfortable sitting on it (although that's not officially recommended, and I wouldn't sit there for too long). The stitching on the top is subtle but elegant, and overall I'm very pleased with this purchase.