In years past I have had wooden Chippendale planter boxes but did not want to spend the money as they are somewhat costly. I got three of these instead. Obviously it is not as sturdy as a wooden one and not as heavy but it looks fine for my purposes. It does not lock in place but stays together pretty well once it is completed and the flowers are installed. You just can't pick it up easily and move it without exercising some care. I knew that it was not going to be a planter that I put soil in so this did not disappoint me but my wooden ones weren't either. Actually I prefer it this way for use over the years. Instead I just put in a hanging basket I bought at my local nursery from which I had removed the hangers. Because the planter is fairly light and I have a lot of wind through my yard, I placed a paving stone that I bought at the hardware store under the planter resting on the cross piece. This served the purpose of weighing down the planter as well as raising the basket to a better height to display the flowers. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and have received many compliments from family members who are used to having the wooden planters but who couldn't tell from casual observation that this was plastic. I would definitely make this purchase again. A good value for the price.