Mabef Deluxe Studio Easel

Especially for an easel that costs this much, I am totally disappointed. The box arrived as other reviewers have described, not at all put together well for something that is this heavy. I checked all the pieces for damage and found one piece that had a bit of frayed wood but it wasn't at a critical weight bearing point. I began assembly and was relying on small sketched pictures to determine which screw I needed to use for which part. I have no problem putting together IKEA or other similar furniture, but this was a joke--you cannot tell from the pictures which size screw you need. I had the first three screws in; the fourth didn't want to go in. I reviewed the instructions again and thought I'd try reassembling from the beginning because I didn't want to force it and perhaps I had made a mistake. Well, now all the screws are stripped and I can't even get the thing apart to try reassembly or to ship it back. MABEF, you've been around for a long time. Please bother to write up some instructions or shoot a little three minute video demo for your customers.

Assembly was easy. The easel is beautiful & sturdy, and craftsmanship is beyond expectation. The casters make it easy to move around. The easel is collapsible in flat position so it can be stored under your bed. Many adjustments for wide range of position. I highly recommend this easel. Worth the money!

I've been contemplating how many stars to give to this product. The easel itself is absolutely incredible. The wood is beautiful, and super high quality. The easel is sturdy and was easy to put together- especially with the video instructions from the Mabel website. I love the look. It is high quality Italian craftsmanship. Easily adjustable. The wheels make it easy to move. It is stunning and honestly, it's absolutely worth the price!! Unfortunately the packaging was a catastrophe. We actually had to order the easel several times. The first time it arrived, the package was cracked open at the bottom with half the hardware missing. Unfortunately, the hardware cannot easily be replaced by a trip to the local hardware store as the included hardware is Italian standard sizing and therefore the US hardware won't fit. We returned it and ordered another one (even reporting the packing issue to Amazon customer support), and that packaging was even worse- again, the little bag with the hardware was opened and half the hardware was missing. This time, several wooden pieces of the easel had fallen out of the original packaging and were loosely thrown into an Amazon provided box. Some of them were chipped. We contacted the original seller to report the issue, yet no word from them. Honestly, it is a pity to see the bad reviews about this product. The easel itself is absolutely incredible (one of the best ones I have seen), but the shipping could use some major improvements.

I was so excited to get this. When it arrived the box was torn and broken. It was missing parts for assembly and some of the parts were broken and banged up. This is my third Mabef easel and have never had one arrive in such poor condition. They are my favorite easels for their simple sturdy design. I am so disappointed. This really could have been avoided with a little extra time taken to pack and secure the box.

Missing lots of hardware. This arrived with the box banged up and with holes in the end. The bag that contained the small screws and hardware to assemble was ripped open and all those parts were loose in the box. We are unable to assemble the easel due to many missing parts.

Excellent product that is serving well. It arrived well packaged, laid out and assembled easily without instructions which I found in the box wrapping after assembly and was put into use immediately. It is a heavy easel which serves the purpose of painting large surfaces that are also heavy. Pricing was fair.

Good solid easel. Putting it together was a little challenging, but figured it out :-) Good price.

I am so disappointed with this easel. The materials are cheap, the construction is substandard, and it had a part that was broken. The box was randomly taped up, so I am wondering if someone returned this and the seller passed the faulty item on to the next unsuspecting buyer, me. I have been buying this brand for 25 years, but perhaps it is time to find another brand. Shame on you Mabef.