U.S. Art Supply Large Walnut French Easel, Adjustable Plein Air Easels, Beechwood Sketchbox Tripod for Field & Studio Painting Easel for Adults, Drawing, Display - Portable with Drawer & Palette

Beautifully made. A great addition to the studio and also for taking on sketching trips. I am sure it will be well used for many years.

Better made than most of the French-style easels I've had in the past. The wingnuts are nicer and there was at least some attempt made to reinforce the swivel on the third leg - but I still had to drill through it myself and add bolts to keep it stabilized.

Easy is not the word when assembling it. All I had to do was unfold it, adjust the legs, tighten the screws and it was ready to use. The frame, a beautiful dark wood, is almost too pretty to mess up with splatters of paint. However, I will use it for my plain air painting class coming up soon. Just wanted the manufacturer to know what a good job he did. The only negative thing I found with the easel is when fully extended it tends to wobble somewhat.

Despite the name "US Art Supply" and distributed from NC - the easel is made in China. It is lightweight, and though it says "walnut" --- it's light weght beech with a walnut stain. It is well constructed for the most part with brass plated hardware, though some are not - which will become a problem over time. The easel interior spaces are not lined with tin or any metal as some competitors. I applied my own solution without adding weight - after I unboxed and setup the easel, I used polyurethane to protect the wooden pallet and interior after removing (and also applying polyurethane) the dividers. Beechwood is very akin to Balsa wood. With that said, it is very attractive and looks upscale with the brass fittings and faux leather handle. I can understand how some folks have issues with loosened fittings and collapsing legs, though these are easy to resolve with a quick trip to Home Depot. I look forward to painting outdoors at Black Butte Ranch in the Cascades with my easel. For the money spent - this is a great bargain -- even if it's made in China. I am going to replace the hardware with something other than the cheap stuff they use (lightweight). I'm happy with the wood used now that the polyurethane is cured, but I plan to reengineer and replace the legs with a hardwood (oak or maple), leaving the body as is. You can buy this for under $100 bucks, or get a Julian Classic for $200+ ... and for this money spent, this is a good unit. Budget conscious buyers can buy with confidence --- and utilitarians - such as myself - will find resolution to any shortcoming for under $20.

This is a really good easel. Tons of storage . I love that it has the removable drawer insert! You can store brushes and extra paint under the jnsert! So it's like having two drawers! Very well made. Beautiful finish. Highly adjustable for many canvas sizes. I had my husband drill an additional hole towards the bottom so you can adjust to a small canvas lower rather than higher. It's not needed at all , I just wanted to be able to have a small canvas lower for when I'm using it as a desk top easel, otherwise you just raise the bottom up to adjust to a small canvas. No complaints on this easel at all. This is a perfect option if you want the most versatility!! It stable and well made. Very glad I chose this one after a thorough search !

The French type easel appears well built for the price. Of course it is not top of the line but is versatile to work well in a studio, in the open, or sitting on top of a desk or other platform. The assembly does take a bit of time to understand what needs to be done first to extend the legs or remove them, etc. The storage area is flexible and adequate and the easel is quite durable.

This was my first easel bought - and bought for outdoor use (plein air painting). I agree with previous reviewer about the no instructions in the box, I guess you're just supposed to know how everything works. Securing the legs took an additional person to assist. While it's pretty, by the end of collapsing it and re-setting it up a couple of times, it was scratched. Wear and tear, right? It does work on a tabletop (just don't unfold and extend the legs). I wish there were space to store/secure wet artwork inside the case for transport from wherever you are painting. Plus the palette doesn't secure inside the case either - so if you are planning on tucking it inside the case, you'd better not carry by the strap or handle, as you've now got paint all over inside the drawer. I liked that the easel part will hold a variety of sizes of canvas. It's not any heavier really than other "portable" easels. I'll use it for as long as I can, and most likely upgrade to one that will assist with above mentioned issues.

Good. Well made. I destroy my stuff and it held up