This stool is excellent quality and is a GREAT value. I am a finicky customer who has been a product guy for most of his career, so I don't say this lightly. I am so impressed that I am writing a detailed review for those that want the details. To be precise, I would give this product 4-1/2 stars if it were possible, but I am rounding up to 5 rather than down to 4. Packaging- as others have noted, the packaging is exemplary. and explains why each piece arrived in perfect condition. It takes 15 minutes to completely unpack everything and lay it out for assembly. It's worth every minute! Others have complained that they couldn't find the hardware. My boxes arrived with a red plastic tag on the outside of the box labeled "hardware" and when you open the box you realize that tag is connected to the hardware package. Clearly, they listened to the feedback and made it painfully obvious where the hardware is. Wood and Finish- While the description calls this "cherry" finish I would describe it as a medium mahogany color. The wood itself appears to be some kind of Asian mahogany such as luan (Phillipino mahogany). The color goes very well with my medium cherry cabinets and Brazilian cherry floor. I am a woodworker and am very impressed with the finish. It is a satin finish, and examining all of the pieces of three stools, it is damn near perfect in any area that shows. Construction- all of the pieces fit together very well. Every bolt engages with a metal threaded insert. You will not be driving any wood screws. All of the bolts are Allen screws so you can crank them good and tight. The foot rest is sturdy, not a flimsy piece of wood. Just the same, I wouldn't stand on it. As I was assembling the first one, I noticed that the swivel was a bit stiff. Rest assured that once assembled and with your weight on it, the stool swivels readily. I'm going to guess that they made it a little tight so kids wouldn't spin on it Probably some do-gooder in Washington mandated that so kids couldn't have fun. ;-) Assembly- the instructions are sufficient but not elaborate. And I might add, they are only helpful if you look them over before beginning assembly. Naturally, I did not do that before assembling my first stool. The most important lesson learned from that is that it really does matter that you assemble these in the order of the steps outlined. The assembly steps are, 1) attach the four legs to the foot rest, 2) attach the "apron" (ring below the seat), (note that the instructions present the preceding two steps as one step), 3) attach back to seat, 4) attach assembled seat to swivel mount. The bolts are very clearly labeled as are the washers, and an Allen wrench is included. Here are a few notes and tips: 1. All bolts are installed with flat washers. All bolts also use lock washers EXCEPT for the final four that attach the seat to the swivel. 2. If you don't follow the recommended order, you will find it very awkward to get at some of the bolts. 3. First assemble the legs and two rings FINGER TIGHT. A very common mistake is to snug each bolt as you install it and then complain that things don't line up. Once the legs and the rings are loosely assembled, set the unit on a flat surface (I used my granite kitchen island) and then tighten. I recommend you tighten the seat ring first, and then foot rest. 4. The Allen wrench has a ball tip on one end- this is a great feature for turning the bolt head from an angle when necessary, until the final half turn of tightening. 5. I put an old towel down on my counter so nothing would get scratched. 6. The bolts and washers are oily when they come out of the package. I would have a rag handy to wipe them off while you assemble. 7. I found it helpful to use my metric Allen wrench set (shown as it provides a great handle and also can be bent 90 degrees. 8. The bottom of the seat back where it attaches to the seat is a slightly wider arc than the seat base. You might be concerned about a gap when you first line them up. Start all six bolts, and then snug up the center first before the outside bolts. As you tighten you will see it pull the center of the seat back closer to the seat bottom until it is flush. Then tighten the outside bolts. The assembled unit is very attractive and looks like it could have cost double or more. The seat cushion itself is on the firm side. I have very little padding on my back side (!) so I would have preferred a bit more padding on the seat. The seat back is VERY comfortable. Although these are proper counter height, I would have preferred if they were an inch or two taller. I measured the under-counter clearance and it is pretty much as it should be. But I'm on the shorter side, so I would have preferred sitting slightly higher. Bar height stools would have been too tall. To sum up, if you like the look of these, go for it. I am deeply impressed with the quality and the value they represent. If anything changes, I'll come back and update this review. Here are a few pictures to give you a better idea.
