T-Sign 66″ Reinforced Artist Easel Stand, Extra Thick Aluminum Metal Tripod Display Easel 21″ to 66″ Adjustable Height with Portable Bag for Floor/Table-Top Drawing and Displaying

★★★★★ This item is described as 'reinforced in the product description. It is far from that. One of the plastic housings that cover the area where the leg joins the body, cracked the first time that I used it. That plastic covering is now cemented and taped. So treat it as fragile when you use it. Know that it is fragile before you buy it. Update: After this review was published I was contacted by the seller who was very upset that I was not completely satisfied with their product. They offered to refund my money or to send me another product. I opted for another easel. When it came I put it through its paces to find that this one worked perfectly. I concluded that the problems with the first one were an anomaly. So I changed the rating to 5 stars based on the second easel performance and the seller's concern that their customer was not satisfied with their product and set about to change it.

★★★★★ Using this for Pictionary at an upcoming family birthday party and bought it together with a 24x18 black framed dry erase board (Quartet, Dry Erase, Magnetic Board for $12 on Amazon). So, for less than $35, I have a great easel and drawing board that is both attractive and practical.Based on mixed reviews, I expected this might be a pain to assemble and not user friendly. But, to the contrary. It's fully pre-assembled except for the base that holds the bottom of your frame/canvas. And, I was bowled over by how well-engineered it is.There are 2 sets of recessed leg extensions in the 3 legs, telescoping style, and each extension is fixed or released by a flip-style lock that is plastic but seems plenty durable. The legs extended and contracted smoothly and I had zero trouble getting them to extend the same distance, because you can extend them in a straight parallel position first and verify by eye, before you splay the tripod. The top vertical bar (to support your frame in back) has a similar extension mechanism, but not telescoping, and a spring-styled clip that can be locked after you secure your item. Attaching the bar and deciding the height to screw it in was the most challenging, but after a couple trials and errors, also perfect. I could see the screws/stoppers stripping if you over-tighten, so take care on that score or have extras on hand. The feet and their adjustable angles are perfect for stabilizing this. With all its good engineering and stability, it's still a light-weight aluminum stand, so it will do better when treated carefully and not knocked around.Overall, there is a ton of adjustment available and easy to accomplish. If you are using the same frame/canvas and just want to adjust height, it's a snap, a matter of a minute or 2 to adjust the 3 legs. If you are swapping to a different canvas, it will be more effort to adjust height and the orientation of the bar, to ensure a good fit for your new piece. But, being versatile is hardly a negative. The ease with which the whole thing collapses and stores in the perfect zipper bag with a shoulder strap is another impressive feature.I expected so much less for $20 and got an incredibly quality piece that serves my current needs and will serve more. I'm a very rare reviewer, takes a lot to impress, so factor that into your appraisal of this item.

★★★★☆ I've made do with some really sorry easels over the years, and I'm glad I decided to buy this thing. It feels a little flimsy, but I've been doing some pretty aggressive strokes on a huge canvas, with everything extended to the max, and it's holding up just fine. The unit is nice and light, and after you screw up three times, you will eventually figure out how to mount a canvas to it securely.