Julian Bowen Oak Wood Coxmoor Dining Table

I bought this 10 years ago and it has held up very well. As others have said, it is solid oak made from blocks, not veneer or simulated plastic coated mdf. It isn’t perfect but it looks superb and well worth the £96 I paid for it in 2015. The price now is 84% higher and not quite the bargain it was. Clearly it is holding its intrinsic value while paper currency fades away.

This table looks high quality and expensive especially when bought with matching chairs, you can also use this table for an office desk. the table isn't that big nor small, the perfect dinning table size for kitchen or living room. Its also very sturdy when screws are tightened but not too much which can cause cracks in the wood, It is very easy to assemble - instructions contain clear images, I would recommend using a pl-yer to tighten the screws instead of the one they provide which is useless.I highly recommend that you varnish the surface of the table before using it or putting a layer of cloth on top of it, this is because I've noticed that if water is spilled on top of the surface, it doesn't feel smooth anymore when you stroke the surface, water also leaves a water mark behind on the surface of the table, therefore its best if you varnish it if using as an desk or put a cloth on top of it, if using as a dinning table.However the surface design looks really modern and expensive, the oak colour is more on the darker side which is why it looks expensive. The table legs are a thin size but not too thin which looks cheap.I highly recommend this product, for the price you cannot go wrong, you will not find a table like this again.

First one to arrive was damaged but arranged a replacement with amazon with no problems. Arrived quickly, simple to assemble with the tools provided - took maybe 25 minutes to put together.Looks great, solid wood, well constructed. Perfect size for a smaller kitchen still with plenty of room to seat 4 comfortably. Would recommend.

Quality: Originally I received a table which had splintered at one end (same as reviewer G. Davies). Amazon arranged for a courier to collect this and to drop off a new one on a day that suited me. The replacement that I received is absolutely fine and it's a good solid table.Appearance: Look's great. The butcher block effect is really nice and the different shades of oak are visually very appealing.Assembly: Piss easy. Took about 15 minutes and did it alone, but you may need a second person to help you turn it over once done. The table comes with a little spanner and I would recommend that you use this, because although it is a bit of a kerfuffle you may overtighten the bolts if you use your own, bigger spanner (like I did at first, before realising that I could have tightened forever with my 8" long wrench, and would have buggered the table had I done so; using the little spanner supplied allows you to tighten the nuts perfectly without going over). I gave it a coating of boiled linseed oil once assembled.Price: Excellent for an oak table. It's not a chunky oak, but it is very sturdy nonetheless. Must admit I was sceptical because the price is so very good. I'm wondering if it's so cheap because it's made of different small bits of oak, perhaps offcuts from larger single pieces?Other comments: I also purchased a set of two matching chairs and a bench. The bench fits under the table enabling me to put one side of the table against the wall. As mentioned above, the first table I received was faulty but Amazon rectified this when I started a webchat with them, and for this reason the fact that there was a defect would not put me off buying another one.

I experienced problems with delivery via Amazon Prime - the initial order was delivered to the wrong recipient and on the rescheduled delivery date two of the tables turned up (one of which I am in the process of returning to Amazon).Just as well that two did turn up because the first one I opened had a damaged part. Unfortunately the part that was damaged was the table top - a groove had been knocked in the table and, because the box was not damaged in this area, I can only assume that the damage occurred in the factory. This does seem to me to be a QA problem. I experienced another QA problem with the chairs which meant that I needed to visit Wickes to buy a bolt i.e. a bag of bolts. Not good. I think this is something to be aware of when ordering from this range. It's no doubt a question of luck but other reviewers have also commented on similar things so I think it is worth keeping in mind.The second table had also clearly been previously returned - the box was awkwardly sellotaped and the included instructions came complete with greasy turmeric stains!Anyway, I wasn't in the mood to return both tables and start the ordering process again so I assembled the table.It was *very* easy to assemble - a lot easier/quicker than the chairs that form part of the same range. The instructions consist only of diagrams but the pictures are very clear.I will say that the two tables looked very different to each other. The first table I opened, which was unfortunately already damaged, seemed to have a better quality of wood - fewer knots and a more subtle/less dark oiling. This is very subjective but the point I guess is that there is quite a wide variation in the range. This might be an issue if you wanted to put two tables together.I would buy the table again albeit with a sense of trepidation because I don't have much faith in the manufacturer's QA process.