Dave
17 de agosto de 2020
Very good cat bed/chair/lounger, but needs a video
As an experiment, I purchased this cat furniture (small, brown) for my 3 cats. Arrived yesterday and was intensively and extensively examined by the gang. Each concluded that (1) it was great, and (2) it was their personal toy, not to be shared. So today I have ordered another of these loungers (small, grey) because it is well made, looks good, and my cats really like it (especially to sleep on at night). My cats are normal size and two could easily share this bed, but Chica got to it first for sleeping last night and no others were allowed (that might change in cold weather). AND YES, assembly was a real challenge! The instructions seemed either a bit sparse or a tad ambiguous to me, so naturally I discarded these and barged on ahead. The sides of the canvas rectangle are hemmed such that they form a tubular passage for the poles on each side. It's good for these to be snug (canvas wont sag as much), but the openings are tight. The long sides of the triangle are each supported by two poles that must be joined in the usual way (one pole has a more narrow end which then slips into the end of the other pole). However, the two poles can't be pre-joined before insertion into the hem tunnel because each pole is sharply bent at its end to form the legs upon which the furniture will stand. As a tip, I suggest you somehow firmly hold the canvas stretched out flat & straight to ease insertion of the pole end into the tunnel. You'll need hands #1 and #2 for that. Then with hands #3 and #4, firmly grip the pole, keeping it aligned with the tunnel, push forward hard and good luck. After success, open a can of cold beer and calm yourself. The best part is up next: inserting the pole with the narrow end into the other pole. Since this is done inside the hem (which is opaque and stiff) you can't see & only vaguely feel what you are doing. Just think back to 'spin the bottle' where the winners repair to a closet, which is completely dark, so you can't see those lips, and so must approach with great caution. For me, the only other tricky part was attaching the short side poles to the long side poles. This is done with threaded bolts (they call 'em screws) with spring washers and special plastic spacers (my term). Picture in your mind: in one hand holding the side pole pressed gently up against the end pole (perpendicular) in your other hand. The end of the end pole has a threaded hole in its end, into which will go the threaded bolt after it passes through pre-drilled holes in the side pole. So, (a) put the spring washer on the bolt (very first step) and (b) then insert the bolt through the pre-drilled holes in the side pole, and (c) now with the bolt protruding from the hole in the side pole, slip the special spacer over the bolt such that the curved surface of the spacer is flush with the roundness of the side pole, and the bolt now extends through the spacer where it is now free to join with the end pole. (d) While holding the end pole up against the bolt (now protuding from the spacer) gently push the poles together while turning (screwing) the bolt using the provided hex wrench. With luck, the threded bolt will engage with the threaded hole in the end pole, and all pieces will draw together tightly. CAUTION: my impression of the threaded pieces is that they are not very tolerant of even small angles of misalignment while screwing and the threads are not made of hardened steel. If misaligned, you will feel some resistence when you turn the hex wrench, but not all that much. If you persist, you can easily strip the threads. So be careful. Go slow and expect to have trouble especially in step (d) above, where 5 to 10 re-starts is normal. And by the way, it would really help to have 3 or 4 hands in step (d). Maybe you can shanghai a helper.Having read a few of the reviews for this cat furniture, it's clear that assembly is the big problem. My advise to the manufacturer is to create a 10-12 minute video that encounters all the tricky spots and presents blow by blow guidance with copious tips and cautions. An experienced mechanic might laugh at this, but the vast majority of customers will be very grateful.And finally, perhaps you may feel better if I tell you that, I got all the way through assembly only to notice that I had the canvas tarp upside down and had to dismantle the hardest part (attaching the poles with the bolts), rotating those side poles to face the right way and then re-doing all else that follows.Ver másVer menos
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