MEA0002C

Sturdy, well conceived and detailed parts, this easel is a new huge seriously delicious delight. Highly liked here and highly recommended. Assembly took a few hours and the enclosed English instructions were mostly clear and concise. All parts were identified with removable numbers and metal connectors were organized into labeled plastic bags--a very nice touch. The instructions ID'd parts to be assembled along with bag to be used. 2 screwdrivers and an allenhead wrench were included. Additionally there is a Mont Martre you-tube video on the assembly of this specific easel. This video showed that nothing difficult was involved, and went through, set-by-set, how to assemble the easel. Solid wood, mortise and tenon joinery that was machined to perfection, fine metal connectors. It all went together, step by step. The easel puts my former rickety wobbly two-bit easels to shame. This easel handles small and large canvases and they will be solid onto the easel. Lots of adjusting possible regarding angle of painting to the eye. The conversion of the easel into a table height platform (add a board for paper) is enticing--I'll get to that with larger watercolors and also pastels. Viewing various easel offerings at Amazon, it seems to be that the identical easel is sold by various sellers--all appear to be made in China. Mont Marte's offer however was more competitive and it came with an Amazon 10% discount coupon. That, combined with the Mont Martre website (seems like a Queensland Aussie art supply outfit) and the video, convinced me to try this one out. I'm delighted that I did.

While the parts were individually labeled and there are lots of photos I still managed to get a little confused towards the end of the assembly. It took me about 3 hours or more to finally get it together haha..Maybe that was me..But i succeeded and its the best easel I've ever used..It rolls effortless in all directions with no effort and maintains its stability. Its strong and good looking..I can't imagine better.

While easy to assemble, mine had two left side main pieces. Instead of a left and right. We made it work by drilling holes but the guide it slides in is off so it can't move all of the way up and down. The piece that holds it in the middle makes it so that you can't paint the top 1/8 inch of the canvas. Not good. I emailed the company about it and we got a $12 refund. I really wanted the replacement part but oh well. It is very sturdy. If not for the wrong part and the clamp lip it would be perfect.

The packaging is the problem. The box cardboard is too thin to carry the heavy woods inside so it arrived with the box opened here and there revealing some material. Thus some parts were chipped away and smashed, making the easel not in a perfect brand-new condition. However, in my case, the damages were only aesthetically unpleasant, not affecting the function so I decided to keep it just because I didn’t want to dissemble and pack again to return when there is no guarantee that the next item will be packaged any better. The assembly was as easy as IKEA furniture though the instruction booklet design could use improvement such as corresponding capital letters and some detail shots at the later steps. All necessary tools are included. The quality seems to be good. Sturdy, stable, functional. It can hold a very small canvas to quite large. The only thing is when using a large canvas, the bottom can go low only down to a certain length (mid thigh for me) so this is a good level to work in a sitting position but will affect the stability when it tilts more and you will need a step to reach high. But I guess you can’t have it all with the convertible easel. Still I think that the tray (the bottom of canvas level) could have been designed to go lower to accommodate a higher canvas with better stabiltiy and versatile access. If so, this easel could have satisfied everything.

It took me a little time to put the Easel and I had the help of a friend. The visual from the instructions were too small for our over forty-five eyes. In desperation we turn to youtube and go a better understanding of how to assemble the Studio Easel. The Easel, in my opinion, is top of the line with great woodwork. I give it a five star and it is worth every penny but may be confusing to assemble. Having said that the packaging was great and was well organized but still was a bit complicated for me without having much experience.

I used an easel like this while I was in school but this beauty is far beyond what I had imaged it would be. The workmanship is very nice and the design is well thought out. While I haven't paint from it yet, I can tell you that this is going to be very accommodating for facilitating a creative environ. I have spent more than a little time as a technical writer and the person that authored the instructions for this easel has been added to my list of favorite people. There are a few place in the instructions where the photographer and the writer don't agree but I just followed the instructions and everything went fine. Someone needs to give the author of these instructions an award of some kind. Overall, I look forward to years of drawing and painting on this easel. My wife commented that it is a work of art already!

Read and re-read reviews, was concerned about assembly. It turned out to be mostly easy with a few confusing areas. I took my time and used the illustrations a lot. Yes, turn off ceiling fan. It does everything I want in an easel. Rolls easily and can be locked in place and can be used flat which was easy to set up. Good size, beautiful to look at and was a joy to paint on, tried it out first day. I will recommend.

This is my first easel and I’m kind of a beginner still. I bought this because of all the positive reviews and I liked how sturdy it was. While it’s great quality and has nice features, it was a big mistake for me. My ceiling height at 9’ can’t accommodate this because the mast at the height I need I to paint standing which is my preference (I’m 5’4”) Won’t work unless I cut off the top of the mast by quite a few inches. I thought I was buying something that would grow with me while I got more experienced and graduated to bigger canvases. I also agree with the person who posted that the canvas is not held securely and falls off. I can’t figure out how to get it to stay. The knob digs in to the wood if you tighten it too much so now I have hole marks in the mast. I either need to sell it or cut the mast off and Jerry rig the canvas holder to use it, which is really disappointing. That’s what happens when you buy online!