Comta PNW-1 Review

Summary

The Comta PNW-I L-shaped desk is a pleasant surprise in a market dominated by the likes of Office Depot and Staples. The construction of the PNW-1 is solid and the design is definitely simplistic and modernistic. We like the fact that there are options available when it comes to the color of the wood and length of the table top. The PNW-1 is available through desks4computers.com for $399 including free shipping; a steal if you ask us.

Introduction

One of the most overlooked pieces of hardware in our office is probably our furniture. We spend hundreds each year on computer equipment, yet as consumers we typically expect average build quality and cheap prices when it comes to our office furniture. With desks in particular, style and functionality often take precedence over quality and build. The Comta PNW-I available through desks4computers.com proves that for an affordable price you can still have an office desk with solid construction and quality parts.

The PNW-1 desk after installation

Features

The PNW-I is an L-shaped computer desk with a single printer shelf located on the right hand side and comes available in 3 veneer colors; Silver, Black and Cherry. Our desk in particular came with a cherry veneer that looks better than any desk available at most major office equipment chain stores. The legs on the PNW-I are built out of a light metal composite with a plastic dressing which covers up the screws used in the desks construction. The pillar located in the center of the desk below the curve serves as the base of the desk and weighs about 15 lbs on its own. The PNW-I comes with a number of nuts and bolts and can be assembled with the two included tools, an allen and monkey wrench. There is no glue, or wooden pegs with this desk which means we are talking about above average quality.

Setup and use

Assembly time on the PNW-I should average about 45 minutes for one person. The instruction manual on the PNW-I uses easy to read illustrations with each part carefully numbered. We found this to be both good and bad. The illustrations are well done but on a couple of the more advanced sections, it can be easy to get confused with what is going on. There is no writing whatsoever in any language, so you will have to rely solely on the illustrations to get you through the installation process. All of the included nuts and bolts are separately packaged and have a number next to their section which correlates with the illustrations in the instruction manual.

The center pillar located under the bend in the table

There are two underarms which connect both of the desk legs to the center pillar. Each arm is reinforced in the middle with a cup bracket and secured with two nuts and bolts on both the side and bottom of the bracket. Notice the two plates connecting the wood table tops to each other. The center pillar features a round metal plate in which the center curved table top piece is attached.

Both the outside of the leg and the inside of the leg

Setup and Use Continued…

There is a plastic cover on the outside of the leg which hides the bolts used to secure the leg to the underarm. If you look you will notice that the arm spreads into 3 adjoining points when it connects to the table legs. Pressure from above is then spread to both the leg/arm joint and the rubber bumper located between the underarm and the table top. We were able to apply up to 250 lbs of pressure to the table without causing any visible stress to it. Located underneath the table top are several pre-made holes that could be used for additional options which may become available for the PNW-I in the future. On the desks4computers.com website they have another version of this desk called the PNW-II which features a longer table top for only $30 more, so if you need more desk space this is an option for you.

While the construction of the PNW-I proved to be above average, there were a couple little oversights on the unit. The first and most noticeable was the lack of any cable management system. There are no pass through holes located on the table top which means cables must be fed either over the back or the side of the unit. The additional holes should be relatively cheap to include. We also would have like to have seen extra bolts, nuts and other hardware in case some may be missing in the manufacturing process or lost in the installation.

Conclusion

The Comta PNW-I L-shaped desk is a pleasant surprise in a market dominated by the likes of Office Depot and Staples. The construction of the PNW-1 is solid and the design is definitely simplistic and modernistic. We like the fact that there are options available when it comes to the color of the wood and length of the table top. The PNW-I is available through desks4computers.com for $399 including free shipping; a steal if you ask us.