My bench was delivered last night, and I used it for the first time today. I will admit that I have never been a gym rat, so my review might miss things that a hard core lifter might notice.Let me say that I am impressed with the build quality. Solid welded construction, pad material seems thick and well stitched. It was packed with a fair amount of styrofoam and a everything was protected by cellophane, so I couldn't find a scratch or dent anywhere. And I looked.The material is like a leathery rubbery material, a little different but nice because it has a kind of tacky texture so I don't slide around. Not sure how it will hold up long-term, but it does seems nice and thick, previous reviewers experienced excellent warranty response in the event it eventually tears.The bench came fully assembled, but it took a few minutes to tear off all the cellophane. It unfolds and folds easily, probably doable with one hand.Let me address the five major concerns people have:1. Gap between the seat and backrest- I don't see any way you could build a folding AND adjustable bench without the gap. I haven't found a bench that doesn't have this issue, and so far it hasn't bothered me.2. Zipper rubbing leg- That must be an older model, because there is no zipper on the seat or anywhere else for that matter. The end of the seat is completely smooth.3. Defects- mine appears to be defect free.4. Flat seat- I was looking at another bench that had a tilted up seat. The problem with that bench was the seat could not go flat, so when attempting to do any flat lifts, you would only have the length of the backrest to use, and tall people would have their head hanging off the end. My head was almost hanging off the other bench. I figure when you want a folding, adjustable bench you can't have everything, and this worked best for me. I feel that the tackiness of the material and the ability to put my feet up on the pegs made it perfectly comfortable to do incline work.5. Foot pegs not padded- the foot pegs are wrapped in thin rubber. It would be nice if it was a little thicker, but I prefer it to the giants pads that always roll around and make it hard to hook your feet.