Redstone and shelves - the perfect duo for automation in Minecraft

Hello, my cubic and curious friends!

Honestly, the moment I heard about the new block — the shelf in Minecraft 1.21.9 — I got a real researcher’s itch! Of course — every new feature can flip our world upside down. From the first minute testing the first shelf I knew: this was something else. Here’s what made me tear up with joy, and where I scratched my head and grumbled like a grandpa on the doorstep.

Pros: Why I got hooked on shelves

• Seeing = believing!
  First thought: «Wow, new must-have for the storage!» Seriously, item visualization is pure bliss. Place a pickaxe, a lava bucket, and a diamond — boom, you instantly know where everything is. The joy of not digging through chests or remembering which shelf has potions and which has bread. My workshop now looks like a mall store, and honestly — I still pop in just to admire it!
• Redstone mastery for the laid-back (that’s me!)
  Here my laziness thanked Mojang. Just hook the shelf to redstone — and swap your hotbar with one click. Am I a god now? No, just a happy crafter. Heading to the mine — click, all the key tools in quick slots. Building — and the other items are at hand. Every time I’m giddy like I’ve rediscovered the wheel in Minecraft!
• Maxed-out decor
  I went wild here: now I want to decorate EVERYTHING! I made artifact displays (yes, I show them off to friends), set up food “bars,” and even a corner for my favorite armor. And shelves in any wood type — a perfectionist’s party! My birch cabin is now a countryside real-estate star. I just need more time to execute all my ideas…

Cons: Telling it straight

• Three slots? Come on!
  Guys, three slots is a joke. I get balance, but the collector’s soul hurts. I want to pack one shelf full so it’s neat and dense. Hopefully we’ll get a super-shelf with five or six slots — or some upgrade path. Because with a potion display, by the third or fourth shelf you start envying iron chests and facepalming.
• You can’t move a shelf — not with a piston, not by yelling
  This bummed me out. I imagined sliding walls and secret rooms with everything popping out and hiding away. Built the circuit, fired it up… and the shelf resists like it’s set in concrete. Why, Mojang? I wanted to play master engineer! Left a slight bitter aftertaste.
• One item = slot gone
  If, like me, you’ve got tons of unique swords, brace yourself: three swords on one shelf looks dull. Same with potions — not much flair. Yes, fair rule. But sometimes you want to hang the whole arsenal — and you can’t. My inner hoarder protests and demands more showcase space!

My take (with a dash of emotion)

To sum up with passion: the shelf in Minecraft 1.21.9 is pure gold! I can’t get enough of the new possibilities for organization, automation, and sheer beauty. My home is no longer just a box of chests, but a cozy spot I want to return to again and again.

Again, the pros easily outweigh the cons, but I’d love to see the shelf get more flexibility — maybe a pro version for collectors and tinkerers. For now? I’ll keep building, testing, and creating, and I strongly recommend adopting the shelf — it’s a real new level of comfort and beauty in your cubic world!

Friends, if you’ve got ideas and tips for shelf use — share them! I’m dying to see what you’ve built. And from me — new reviews as soon as something fun drops. Wishing you massive creative inspiration, and may redstone be with you!