DHP Dusty Steel Bunk Mattress Body for Children, Teenagers, and Adults, With Angled Ladder, Prime Complete Duration Guardrail, Easy Rounded Edges, No Boxspring Required, For Small Areas,…

Easy to build
Sturdy bed.
Ladders are on the front not the side.

This is not a great bunk bed but it is a good bunk bed and an inexpensive one. It is not indestructible but it is pretty sturdy. I would give it 5 stars if it was only compared with other beds that are <$200 but I am comparing it with all of the bunk beds I looked at or have owned. I bought this more than 6 months ago and my 5 YO grandson and 6 YO granddaughter have been using it since without any issues. They really like the bunk beds and have mastered the climb to the top bunk. Be careful where you put it. A bunk bed can give small children easy access to things normally out of reach, like ceiling fans and overhead lights, or the top shelf of a bookcase.

Things I like about this bed:
1. The price!
2. Built in ladders on ends of bed won’t fall or slip off.
3. I can add an optional trundle beneath the lower bunk.
4. This bed accommodates a full box spring AND mattress on the lower. I did this for 2 reasons… it adds support to the bottom bunk and it reduces head space in the bottom bunk enough to discourage bouncing on the bed without any issues of bumping their heads if they sit up or kneel on the mattress..
5. It is sturdy. Small kids (~40 pounds each) use it but I have laid on the bottom bunk with them (~180 punds) several times to watch a movie with them.
6. Lots of metal bars (slats) to support the mattresses more evenly distributes the weight and minimizes the chance of bending one from too much force.
7. The top rails are pretty high. I use an 8 inch mattress up there and their is more than 4 inches of rail above the top of the mattress on all 4 sides so the kids won’t accidentally roll off of the top bunk in their sleep.

Things I don’t like about this bed:
1. Aesthetics are lacking. It is a grey metal bed. But I didn’t buy it to be pretty and the kids don’t care.
2. Setup wasn’t simple but I did it on my own using the provided instructions in a couple of hours. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that 2 parts that seem the same are the same. Pay close attention to the distinguishing characteristics (like which side a bolt hole is on) called out in the instructions when selecting the parts during assembly.
3. It cannot be setup as 2 separate beds. I knew this before I bought it.

Overall, I recommend this bed for younger children. I think it would work well for preteens as well. It was the least expensive bunk bed I found on Amazon but I am very happy with it. It is function at a very affordable price.

DISCLAIMER: While I am in no way way associated with either the seller or manufacturer, my grandkids gave me a marshmallow treat for writing this review.

Please be aware that I am giving this five stars because I have searched in stores and online without finding a bunk bed this inexpensive that has the weight capacity of this one. I have a teen and preteen, so a bed with a 100 lb. weight limit is out of the question. This bed has a 200 lb. top bunk weight limit, so that alone makes it five stars for the price.

However, there are a few very minor issues, mostly with the paint job, that might irritate someone who expects perfection at even this rock bottom price. For me, they aren’t enough to deduct points from the product. I did not expect a $1000 bed for $160, so I was fine with the tiny flaws. There are a couple of spots where the paint just didn’t cover well, and they look almost rusty. It’s not the full-on, metal weakening type, but just bare metal, untreated look. They are near the spots the bed joins, so once everything was together, you don’t even see them. The slats apparently rubbed together during shipping, and the paint on them is scuffed; again, it’s minor, and it looks as though it happened during shipping. The slats were the only thing not individually wrapped, so the rubbing isn’t even visible. The bolts do extend from the bed; they aren’t flush with the metal. However, they are rounded and coated, so I don’t see this as a problem, either. They are intended to be that way. One thing that irritated me a little is that one of the slats is bent. That seemed odd, because it’s the only one and they were together in the box, so it seems like it was that way before shipping. It’s not enough to affect the sturdiness of the bed. I put that slat near the head of the bed, so little weight will be on it, just in case.

Now for the good parts. This bed is very sturdy, very heavy, and it doesn’t squeak or sway. While it is very tedious to assemble, it is simple and the instructions are great. Everything you need is included in the box. The instructions say you need two people to assemble it, and that it takes two hours. I HIGHLY recommend that you get help with this, if you can. I couldn’t, and I assembled it alone in about an hour, but it was a pain.

One warning: the instructions say not to tighten the bolts until the bed is completely assembled, and I cannot stress this too much. DO NOT TIGHTEN THOSE BOLTS UNTIL THE BED IS COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED. I hand-tightened them, and had to take some out a bit, because I had tightened them too much, just with my hands.

Update: I bought this in September 2015. In May 2018, it’s still strong and sturdy, though squeaky. It has been a great value for me.