After two years with the 18” version, I can honestly say that if I had to buy this again tomorrow, I would do so immediately. The price has increased a few dollars since, but I’d pull the trigger again without a moment’s hesitation. I’ve used mine daily over the course of the past two years with it, and the rubber feet only show the slightest bit of wear after using it outdoors - mostly on cement, but also on rough ground/grass at parks and so on. I bought it specifically for the weight and size it collapses to. I’m disabled and use crutches to get around. I’m not able to stand much longer than 15-20 minutes before I start getting sore, and after being caught out a few too many times without a decent place to sit, I began my search for a suitable portable option. After hunting for a couple weeks, I stumbled across this particular stool. Once I got over the initial sticker shock and took some measurements to make sure it’d fit in the 19 liter bag I use to carry my daily necessities, I decided to give it a shot. Being that it was going to live in a bag when not in use, it needed to be compact, but more importantly, light weight. My bag’s heavy enough. I wasn’t trying to lug around something clunky. The 18” version weighs just over two pounds, so keep that in mind. Remember, ounces equal pounds. Pounds equal pain. For the convenience of it, I’ll gladly make provisions for those couple pounds. As for stability, I will say that it has toppled with me twice. Both times after I leaned over too far and lost my balance. I mention this because it is essentially a tripod. It doesn’t have the inherent stability of a four-legged chair. If you have low (or almost zero, in my case) balance, be careful with it. If you’re sitting with your feet on the ground and not leaning excessively one way or the other, you shouldn’t have any problems. Backing up to it to sit down was a tricky thing to learn as well. I’ve kicked it over a few times trying to position myself over it. One thing that’s made life easier is hooking a carabiner to the loop that normally secures the Velcro strap, then clipping that to a second carabiner that’s on my center back belt loop before getting up. That way the seat hangs out of the way until I can find a place to lean against to collapse it and put it back into my bag. The legs extend with a satisfying snap once they lock into place and I have full confidence in them being able to support me without failing. Granted, I’m short - an absolutely staggering 5’4” and don’t weigh much. A hefty 127 pounds. The red buttons that lock the legs in place are sometimes quite a chore to press in order to collapse the legs, though. (This is a good thing, WalkStool. Don’t change this.) If you have a weaker grip, however, you may find them to be quite difficult to use. I have had one of the legs slip out of the black upper tube once when trying to extend it. The leg twisted slightly and the red button missed its hole and the whole thing popped out. That was a pain to put back. Not impossible - just aggravating because it’s a pretty stiff little spring. Some reviews mentioned that the seat ripped away from the legs. This hasn’t been my experience at all. Mine still looks nearly brand new and is still as solid as the day I got it. Again, short and skinny, so your mileage may vary, but the build quality on my particular unit is impeccable. Aside from the slight wear on the feet that I mentioned, one scratch on one of the legs and the Velcro getting a little worn/fuzzy, it’s been great. The overall comfort of the stool is nice as well. It’s about what you’d expect from other camping-type chairs. The mesh is thick and the grommets that attach it to the legs have been sturdy. On average, I use it anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple hours a day, depending on the situation. I’ve been perfectly fine on it for extended periods. The simple fact that this stool can fit comfortably into a compact 19 liter book bag and be deployed in just a few seconds with one hand makes the sticker price well worth it for me. I suppose I should mention that the stool did come with a mesh carrying pouch. While well-built, I haven’t used it once. For my particular use case, it wasn’t necessary, though I’m glad they included it. I’m sure it would be useful for someone. My only real nitpick is with the Velcro strap. If I had to change one thing about this stool, that’d be it. Instead of attaching it to the seat, I’d rather it have been a separate piece. Sure, it’d be one more thing to keep up with, and more than likely end up lost in the ether somewhere, but when that wears out you’re left with a fuzzy, useless, dangling strip of (albeit nice quality) nylon. Once you use it for a while and find where the strap likes to live when you have it rolled up, put a snap or two on there. That way you have the added security while keeping it actually useful when the loop portion of the hook & loop eventually stops looping. WalkStool, take note. Tack another 25 cents onto that price tag and give us a heavy duty, durable snap instead of the Velcro. If you’ve read this far through my terribly long-winded novel of a review, you have the patience of a saint. Bless you. I hope my perspective helps someone in their buying decision. Like I said at the start, if I had to make the purchase again tomorrow, I wouldn’t think twice about doing it.
