Martin 92-20414 Avanti II Steel Double Post Classroom Easel, Chrome

Let's start with the cons, since there are soooo many...CONS:-Was shipped in VERY shoddy packaging-Two of the metal tubes were slightly crushed at the end and had to behammered into shaped so the easel could be put together-Directions are VERY minimal, translated poorly from Italian, and thepicture diagram is tiny and mostly unhelpful due to the fact that theparts aren't even labeled. You will have to pretty much figure out howto put this thing together without directions.-The whole thing is held together by pressure screws, which are difficultto tighten enough to keep everything from sliding apart without tighteningso hard that the welded on bolts crack off. Seem like they will strip outfairly easily if you actually have to adjust the easel very often.-The lip that your canvas or drawing board rests on curves up and coversthe bottom 2 inches of whatever your working in, which is very annoying.-Although fairly sturdy on a flat surface, it will tip backwards quite easilyas the bottom is not sufficiently weighted.PROS:-Looks nice and is fairly sturdy once put together- I have it leaning against acounter so it won't tip backwards.-The tray is a nice size and very sturdy.-It seems like it could hold a fairly weighty canvas or board securely- yet itis sized comfortably for a smaller space.My final word on this item: It isn't a TOTAL piece of crap, but it isn't worthwhat I paid for it either ($193).I would feel a little better about this purchase if I had paid about half as much.

Good product, quality materials, sturdy, solid feel, good balance, easily adjusts. Assembly took about 15 minutes (mostly looking at the shape of the parts gave away where they went, but the diagrams were so fundamental they worked) and it holds canvas steady. Aesthetically pleasing modern design. I'd buy another in a second. The negative reviews I've read seem to be about a different product since this easel is a fine piece of equipment. I compared to similar wooden easels but they can't handle the size canvas that this does. Less clutter in my studio with this product. I really like it.

Ordered one of these many years ago and, after moving, I bought another. It works OK for the beginning/intermediate painter. Those that like to work large will want an easel that's more accommodating . My one complaint is that it, sometimes, comes apart while I'm working. The knobs really need to be tight for it to hold together. Be aware that this easel has no wheels which I wish it did.

Lighter weight than my previous easel from them but sufficient

Easy to assemble and very sturdy.

I really wanted this easel and wanted it to work. It got great reviews so I was excited to order it. It arrived in fine condition but when we assembled it, one part of the bottom piece was off about 1/16". Now that doesn't sound like much but that section was where the uprights were placed. Spread 1/16" over six feet and it becomes huge. We were able to get it together but it was twisted a bit. We thought, in the long run, that tension would weaken the easel so we returned it. We purchased it from PlumStruck through Amazon and they were great...no problems at all getting a refund.

top heavy bad design

Although the instructions are not precise, I found the easel easy to put together just by looking at the picture. After assembling, I found it easy to disconnect one brace and lay it flat in my SUV. It is good looking and solid. However, I am using it only to display a large framed photograph which, at 35 pounds, feels like it is pushing the envelope on how much weight it can hold. For anything less, I would have given it five stars.