It is well-built apart from the cage which looks like it was added to an existing machine to meet elf and safety regs. Putting the cage together is a seriously time-consuming and fiddly operation that I considered omitting when faced with bags of nuts and bolts. My other issue is the time cycle that I consider too long for the short logs I will be splitting. I notice that other machines have an adjuster collar to adjust the stroke and this machine should have one as standard. The other issue is that these short-leg machines need to be mounted on a bench to ergonomically load the logs for splitting, so if you do not have a bench you will have to build one or buy one - another time and/or money expense. Overall I bought it for its good motor power and splitting force, and it has not let me down on this score.