Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I didn't have any problem assembling the easel by myself. i do recommend assembling it in the "table" position and sliding in the top masts after the assembly is complete. To keep the weight you have to lift down.
I am very pleased with the new addition to my studio. It is very easy to move and adjust.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I was able to finish the easel yesterday...by myself and I'm 65! It was no small feat, but the instructions Jerry's has, did not help at all. I spent all day looking online for other and instructions and I got lucky. These are instructions for the Amalfi Easel, but guess what? Same tools, exact same parts and this is why I could finish easel. I am attaching them so you can send these out to all the people who cannot make heads or tails of you assembly drawing. Every step on there...at the end you have a couple things different, but easy to figure out since most of the easel is done...Amalfi has only one canvas support and the St. Remy has two AND the two stablizer blocks, which is great and which Amalfi doesn't have.Take a look.NOW THESE ARE INSTRUCTIONS! Here is the link:http://www.martinuniversaldesign.com/assy_instructions/3010Assembly.pdfGood Luck,Linda

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

It came in about 26 different pieces, hardware and wooden parts. The instructions were terrible and almost all of the corresponding labels (A,B,C, 1,2,3) were missing. It took two people (one of them with a Ph.D in engineering from Stanford) four hours to put together with many wrong turns. The illustrations in the assembly instructions were terrible and the picture on the box didn't give enough information about what it should look like.

It's a great sturdy easel though. Heavier than I imagined and harder to move, even with castors.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I use this easel almost every day. It's sturdy and versatile. As others have noticed it is annoying to assemble, but worth it once you survive the process.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

We bought this for my daughter who is a painter, often on large canvases. A web search showed this was a great deal, and it's indeed very sturdy and well-constructed. We were told the "H" frame would be the best for large work. We also wanted something she would have for a long time, and this has not disappointed. It also came very quickly.

One catch, though.....It was VERY difficult to put together, though, as many others have also complained. DON'T throw out the picture on the box, bc that is more helpful than the poorly written instructions. The other problem is that many of the stickers labeling the pieces had come off in the package, making it even more difficult to tell what is what! I hope they improve the instructions soon! In the meantime, allow for multiple hours to put this together, and come with lots of patience!

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

Great Easel, terrific value, useless instructions. This thing is big and very well built.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

My best advice is to tape the 'leaves a lot to be desired' instructions to the front of the box, just below the photo of the easel...then use both to put this together, along with your imagination. It took 90 minutes to put the easel together, and probably another 90 to figure out which pieces, nuts, bolts, etc., went where. It might be a good idea to have a DIY buddy help. Once together, it's a sturdy piece of equipment.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

Studio painting

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

While this easel will test your patience when putting together (you need to plan on about three hours), it is perfect for the professional artist or hobby artist. It is really big, but it is so well built, you will never need another one. I have it in a 9' x 11' room. The base is large, but it's easily moved around on casters and I don't have to worry about the weight of large canvases. I have purchased many easels in the past few years since I am a high school advanced art teacher and if you are looking for a large, personal easel that you will want to keep or a really good one for an older student who paints large...this is it. The price is a steal of a deal.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

poor instructions ...horrible ...hair pulling

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I love the easel. However, written instructions would have been helpful. The diagram assembly method was extremely frustrating.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I use this easel to oil paint. I have owned other easels and studied many other easels from Jerry's and other art co. and ended up very sastified with my purchase of this easel. It is not a $1000 dollar easel, but for the $, I would buy it again for sure. It is made of very nice wood, very well designed and even though (many other reveiws said it was hard to put together because of the poor assembly instructions) I had no problem at all. This is the first time I have ever taken the time to write a reveiw.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

As with everyone else, we found the assembly instructions pitiful! I've recommended this easel to many people but forewarned them. It might not have been so bad if many of the little label stickers had NOT fallen off of the individual pieces. We were guessing. Yes! Don't throw out the box until it's done. You WILL need those pictures to figure it out!

All said and done, hours after it IS assembled. I JUST LOVE IT!!! I work on large canvases and I work upright as well as flat. I love that the bottom adjusts up so that I can work on a small canvas at eye level as well. The wheels make it wonderfully movable and I just can't say enough about this easel. I don't plan on buying another! This handles big, small, 1 or 2, flat, upright or angled. What more could you want?

Just keep in mind this IS a large (studio) easel and you will need space for it. It doesn't fold flat or anything.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The St.Remy Studio easel is extremely well-made, and fully adjustable. The wood quality and finish is top-notch. Unbelievable for the price! I does require a room with a taller ceiling ... top mast can touch 8ft ceilings!
My criticism is similar to others ... poor assembly instructions. I had to use all my engineering skills, plus trial-and-error and numerous mistakes, to put this together.Seems Chinese mfgr desire to provide a single-language, single-page instruction, which obviously isn't proofed by an English-speaker focused on easy assembly. This could be easily corrected by adding additional detail to written directions ... better than an assembly video as suggested by others.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I use the product for my personal artistic efforts. After seeing the easel fully assembled, I realized it was more easel than I really needed, but I did want one that allows me to work on the horizontal. The directions for assembly were borderline useless. The only thing that helped us assemble the darned thing was looking at the pictures from different angles I had printed out along with some good old-fashioned common sense.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I read the reviews from other customers and was a little hesitant about the assembly but with such a great price I felt that even if the assembly was a little difficult it would still be a great deal. I was right. The assembly instructions were a little confusing, but I put it together by myself in a few hours. I really love the easel!!! I can't believe how sturdy and well-made it is for such a low price. I guess the downfall was the assembly, but if you have patience and are a little handy it is well worth the time and effort to put it together.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

Not sure why all the complaints about assembly-it was a piece of cake, even using hand tools vs. a power driver. Instructions=7 pictures, almost no words - instructions designed for a man! (c'mon guys, who "reads" instructions!?) Everything was pretty common sense, though I suspect that if all the tiny labels fell off it might be a bit more difficult. Just make sure you keeo the box so you can look at the photograph - it answers a couple of questions you will have. [...]This easel is very solid and the dual masts give you options for painting 2 pieces at once, or just large pieces. You cannot beat the price of this for the quality you get! I am VERY pleased!

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This easel works great for my largest work as well as my smaller. I am so blessed with the quaility and the value, No other dealer even came clost to this bargain I got.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The assembly instructions were not helpful, had to put it together by trial and error. It's very nicely constructed. Requires a space of about 3 1/2" square feet. Difficult to roll on a carpeted surface but would be fine on smooth flooring.
I really like the ability to easily drop it to a horizontal position for my watercolor painting.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I have a nice jerry's easel, but sometimes wished for a larger one. This was the answer! First the problem: Assembly directions were horribly drawn, labeled , and no explanations. The little lettered labels intended to help had all but 3 come off of the bags or wooden parts. Halfway through I thought I would have to assemble and reassemble several times to get it right. But then as I noticed the photo of the assembled one on the box. That saved me, even though some of the knobbed tighteners are still mismatched.
For the Good , no Great! , you won't find many easels as adjustable , sturdy, accomodating horizontal and vertical large canvases and work surfaces, as this one...especially not for the price.I also see that I can drill another hole for the upper back support that will allow me to tilt the easel forward for my messy charcoal work. I love the easel and now could put one together in 30 minutes, but it was a challenge the first time. Once you have it together, I think you will be very happy.

Come on Jerry's..have a manager put one together and photo him for new instruction manuals.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I am a full-time artist and this easel is well suited to my work. Easily adjustable for height and angle of work surface, locking casters so it can be easily moved but will stay put when in use. However, there were no assembly instructions, just some labeled diagrams [...] I had to figure out how it went together by trial and error.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I have 3 other light wight easels but wanted a heavy solid studio easel. And this fits the bill at a great price. But.Who ever wrote the assembly directions should be horse wipped. There is 23 wooden peices and gobs of bolts of different sizes. The instructions consist of one side, of one 8 x 11 sheet of thin paper. On the paper, 8 little pictures with no narrative. The parts and hard ware are numbered with little quarter inch sticker, about half fell off [...] I have put together a lot of flat pack furniture but this is probably some of the poorest instructions I have experienced. What should take a half hour, took me 2 hours. And I used a battery powered drill (I recommend).I also recommend a second set of hands. With that off my chest, All the part were there, one was broken, the canvas holder, basically two small peices of wood fixed together at a right angle. I put it back together with bigger screws and re-glued. So not a big deal for me. The wood is truly beautiful,no knots, straight grain. The hardware seems of good quality,time will tell.The easel is sturdy. Have not had an opportunity to use.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

Instructions were a bit hard to follow, but multiple re-reads and perseverence paid off. One of the top canvas holders wasn't machined correctly and therefore, wouldn't slide onto the mast. A quick call to customer support to explain the issue and a replacement part was sent within the week. Can't ask for much more!

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

We purchased 20 of these easels for our college drawing classes. The option to lay your work flat will be very useful. They are solid construction and the "H" design is so much sturdier than the tripod design. We are hoping they will last a very long time.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

My fiancee and I use our easels for studio painting, especially large format pieces in both oil and acrylic. The easel's size and adjustability make it perfect for the work that we do. We definitely appreciate its ability to rotate to a full horizontal position when we are ready to apply a final varnish or medium coat to a finished piece. The easel can be assembled by one person in about an hour, but having a second set of hands will making the assembly of larger sub-components much easier. [...] poor construction of the easel's box shelf. In both easels, the shelf was poorly aseembled (one of the side panels/walls had broken free and staples in another had missed the intended target). A lick and a prayer would have been more useful than the poor glue and stapling job that was performed. Again, the flaws were easily repaired. Despite these minor aggravations, we love our easels. They are a great addition to our studio space.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The easel is everything I was hoping it was. Putting it together was the hard part. The instructions were printed on one 8.5x11" paper with small illustrations which weren't very detailed. I had to disassemble the cradle twice before I got the orientation right. Be prepared to spend over an hour putting it together. Once together it was a sturdy, rock-solid easel built to last.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I chose this easel because it's relatively heavy and it can be used flat as well as upright. However, when I was putting it together, I found that they tray/canvas holder was broken. Jerry's was quick to replace it. I continued putting the easel together but had to use some of my own screws on one part as the one they sent was stripped. THEN as I was finishing, I realized that the left upright canvas holder will not tighten. So I will be calling again, to get yet another part needed to complete the easel.

But aside from getting a bum piece or two, which Jerry's has quickly replaced, I'm looking forward to using it.

This guy is big, so make sure you have room! :)

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This easel itself it a great product. The instructions suck - just a diagram that you have to figure out, with parts numbered and lettered, but no actual instructions. And not all the pieces to be assembled were labeled, so I had to guess when I had parts left over. When it was sent they forgot several pieces. [...]

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This company makes the best, sturdiest, most durable easels around, different ones go on sale every now and again and just buy them when they are, you'll be pleased to have it. I have several of their easels and I love them each dearly.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This easel is big; however, I find it convenient for my small space because I can use it upright or flat (acrylic and watercolor) giving me a 2 in 1 piece of furniture. The casters make it convenient to move around, if needed. Assembly instructions were not very clear and I had to view the online video to assist me with the assembly. I compared how my assembled easel looked to the one in the video. I knew something wasn't right and this helped me clarify and change a few parts.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I have a bad shoulder and need both a flat and variable surface to support my paint panels. This unit has these options and is ruggedly constructed. It is very easy to use and move.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I love this easel. If it weren't for the fact that when flat, it is too high for me ( I am 5'4") it would be perfect. I wish there could be an adjustment there. I had to get on a stool to be tall enough to spatter a canvas. I am using it in a very small studio. It's ease of adjustment and positioning is wonderful. The construction is sturdy, and I love that it can handle 2 smaller canvases at the same time. It is more difficult to transport than smaller, flimsier easels. I would purchase it again in a heartbeat--but wish there were some way to adjust the height when flat. Other than that, it is just about perfect.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This easel is really nice, SUPER HEAVY, and seems
quite stable. The wood grain is beautiful.
A good if not great studio easel for smaller works!

I plan on using this mainly vertical for oil painting.., but sometimes horizontally.

It is VERY LARGE and does not collapse for storage so make sure you have the room for it..

Putting it together was a little awkward, but I was prepared for that by reading the other reviews.
It wasn't nearly as hard as I was expecting.

It comes with its own hex tightener,( dont know the formal name of those things?) and screwdriver!

It is helpful to have a butterknife or flathead screwdriver also to help align the screws and bolts.

Minor Issues:
One of the screws was a bit stripped,
and one canvas holder arrived needing some glue.
It is made in China.

Biggest Issue:
NOT FOR REALLY LARGE FORMAT!
(which is why I bought this easel). It says it can hold large canvases.. But the canvas holder/tray is totally stationary at about my waist ( and I am average/tall at 5'9")
The largest canvas I can work on/reach comfortably STANDING is 36".

The masts adjust to hold crazy large sizes, but
how do you reach them?! with a Ladder?
I am now pondering buying another easel with a center mast that adjusts to the floor for sitting and standing work...

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The St Remy studio easle is perfect for my studio. I paint on large canvases (sometimes 2 at a time) and it provides great flexibility. I can have the upright position or use it in the table position. It holds very large items and is solid construction. It is very moble and stores quite well. You have one very satisfied customer!

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

very nice product,very strong for large paintings.latest project, 3'-6' oil of a university and landscape. the directions are not good at all, don't show detail for assembly worth a bleep!!!. get ur done and you will love it

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I love this rig. It took me 4 hours to assemble but its worth it. Solid construction, great stabilty. One snag was the knobs for securing the canvas did not match the threads provided. I made a creative adjustment and we're off and running.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This easel is so easy to use it's effortless. I really like the quality and versatility. A great value!

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This is a great easel. I didn't find installation difficult, though I'd read the other reviews so was ready for it to be really hard. One of the bolts was stripped, but I was able to use it in a place that didn't require much tension, though I may still write the manufacturer for a replacement. The instructions weren't bad, they are the 'picture' type like from [...], with steps a-g using parts 1-11.I thought I'd leave a review with the installed dimensions of this, since they're not mentioned anywhere.dimensions of the base part on the floor are 30x31.5"The top of the outer masts is 62" (i.e. the masts that hold the bottom pieces). The top of the top mast is 90". The top masts can be raised another 30" or so though via the knobs on the back (to hold crazy-huge paintings).Its

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I finally have an easel that I will use everyday.
It is beautiful and sturdy. I've been a working artist all my life but was never able to have the studio easel, never enough room or moving too many times. It holds my small or large canvas and I need the table space it provides, on occasion.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I use this as a combination easel and horizontal work station. Good construction but plan on the good part of a day to assemble. The instructions are pretty worthless.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I bought this easel as a gift for my husband. Although the price was very good and the description looked like just what he wanted, this easel poses some challenges. First it is not easy to put together, it is heavy, it is huge and requires a very large space especially a high ceiling. When all said and done it is also not as stable as it should be. We have to rig up all kinds of things to get it tighter. If it did not takes three days to put together I would have returned it.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The price was right - much cheaper than easels in stores. Directions for assembly were sketchy - could have used more diagrams. Had to reassemble part. Bolts need to be tightened during use. I may add some bracing.
Still, a fair product for the money.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

When I first opened the packaging, I was daunted by the complexity of this easel and fearful of putting all the pieces together. However, the instructions were clear, all parts & pieces were clearly marked and diagrammed. The quality of the wood and parts was surprising high - considering the low price of this easel. One thing potential artists should know is that it is HEAVY! But in the end, that is part of the good quality.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

This is an excellent product and great quality.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

I assembled this easel last week and and have now used it for a few hours of painting and also some touch ups to a fractured frame. When I unpacked the box I was impressed by the heavy wood frame members, leery of the huge bag of hardware, and dismayed by the minimal instructions. Made in China of course. The instructions consist of one sheet of drawings showing eight small diagrams of different assembly stages and hardware used in that stage. The pieces were almost all labeled with little stickers and hardware was subdivided into little bags with stickers also. This way you could tell what hardware to use with what pieces in which step. A few of the stickers had fallen off though. Sometimes it wasn't clear which side was up and which side was left and right. I would refer to two pictures on the shipping box or pictures on the Jerry's website showing the assembled easel in these cases.
Once I assembled the bottom frame with the casters (steps A and B) I was impressed by how well it went together and how sturdy and strong it was. The rest of the construction went the same way. A screwdriver is included but I used my own ratcheting type and my drill for turning lots of screws. I took my time and finished in four hours or so.
The completed easel is quite large and impressive. The wood is pretty and it's almost going to be a shame to splash paint on it. I think the shipping weight was 56 pounds and it's all there on four wheels. It rolls easily on four locking casters. It is also a simple matter to change the tilt and even go all the way to horizontal in a few seconds if you want to turn it into a table.
It is large. Be careful driving through narrow doorways. When you raise and lower the canvas holder you are also raising and lowering the masts. Be careful in raising the masts because it would be very easy to knock a hole in any type of lower ceiling. There's nothing to prevent you from removing the extending parts of the mast if you prefer. Also be careful going past the lowest catching point because then the whole tray/mast assembly will drop like a stone onto your toes. It's not obvious where this point is because the tray/shelf assembly hides it from view. I'll probably mark a stop point on it. I'll also probably rig some kind of safety stop so it won't plummet to the floor if I go too low.
The tray/shelf is a nice feature. The tray is three inches deep and the shelf four with four inches between.
I like the easel very much. It's professional quality and I'm sure will be an asset in my studio for years to come.
I'd give it four and a half stars if I could; marking off only for minimal instructions and the lack of a safety stop for the tray shelf assembly.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

The easel is very well built. I like the versatility ... angles to horizontal.
Do wish I would have had all the dimensions though. It is
a bit larger for my space ... but works out ok.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

As the other reviewer has mentioned, this thing is massive! In fact, I live in an apartment in downtown San Francisco and it doesn't fit into my studio's doorway.

However, it is easy to remove parts of the easel so that I can make it smaller so it can fit (I like to paint in various areas of my apartment, so the castor wheels are a great feature).

I got this particular easel because I paint fairly large scale and wanted something substantial. As far as I can tell, this easel is well made and the wood feels very sturdy. I like that it can be easily converted in order to lay paintings flat for the purposes of varnishing or water coloring.

Although not the most detailed instructions, using my common sense and the drawings allowed me to put this together by myself in about an hour and a half. There were a few confusing moments, but overall I'd say it was fairly easy to put together.

My only complaint, other than my narrow apartment doorways, would be the brass "keys" that you pull in order to raise or lower the masts. They feel a little stiff and make an awful screeching noise. I remedied this by squirting a few drops of oil into the keys. One of the keys has a tendency to "stick" and is slightly awkward.

But still, this is a fantastic price for such a substantial easel. Art stores here in San Francisco charge $250 + for easels about half the size and of lesser quality.

Comments about Saint Remy Studio Easel:

If you want a huge, solid easel. this is it! But plan on spending the good part of the day putting it together. The instructions are worthless!