I have the one w/o the shelf and I bought the one w/the self for Christmas one year for my daughter. We both like them. I've had mine since 'before' the one w/the shelf was out or I would have bought it instead. The metal frame is fine, however the table top is made from particle board and therefore you need to be careful when rolling it about as the table as this puts a little strain on the joining area where the underside of the table and leg frame are joined. Keeping this in mind and you'll have lots of years of use! one more thing...I roll my table into the tv room that has an area rug....I lift the one end of the legs over the rug and usually just move the table by the legs to avoid the strain on the joints.... and being that it folds for storage and you can save w/ the JA coupon I say 'go for it'!!!