I am sorry to report that this chair did not work out for me. Actually, I should say, two of these chairs did not work out for me.Even though I knew the low price of this chair might have a compromise in quality, I still had high hopes for it. I knew most anything would be an improvement on what I have been sitting on the last 3 years.My primary criteria was to have a drafting-height chair with at least a mesh back. I also wanted adjustable arm rests. The additions of a foot rest and wheels were nice, but not critical.Since I have been sitting on an armless, backless stool with an unpleasant wooden seat (that could not be any harder if it was made from the hull of the battleship, USS Missouri), I figured any padded chair was a step forward. Well, not so fast...It turns out there is something worse than sitting for 10 hours a day on a hard surface. The 'something worse' is a surface that is not level.Imagine my delight, the first time I stood the chair up after tightening the final screw. I was so eager to experience the simple pleasure of nestling my sore butt between the welcoming arms and onto the supple seat of my new office mate.I took just a moment to admire my handy work and let my anticipation build with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning. What a vision; what a joy; what a ... what... WTF!!My two cheeks had no sooner settled on that seat when I sensed it was not level. I immediately popped back up and stood there staring at the chair. Sure enough, it appeared to be ever-so-slightly tilted to the right.I tried to justify my observation as, "Nah... can't be. I'm just not used to anything soft." I decided I would get used to it. Pushing it to the desk, I sat down to get to work.But, I couldn't. Work, that is.Some people can't concentrate on work if there is a noise distraction, like an AC/DC cover band rocking out in the next cubical. Other people get distracted by annoying smells, like the inconsiderate dolts who insist on microwaving their lunch of broccoli and Limburger cheese in the company kitchen. And then there are people like me who get distracted by anything that is not straight and level.Okay, so I admit that I might be considered a bit extreme in that annoyance. The first time I was at the Louvre, in Paris, I waited patiently in line to work my way through the crowds to eventually stand just behind a tour of Brits, who eagerly shared their first impressions of Mona Lisa; "Magnificent, my dear", "Inspiring", "Magical", "A more splendid portrait I have never seen". With the sound of each celebrated opinion, my anticipation grew. Then, as they began to shuffle off, I stepped to the rope and looked up.My first impression was, "Gee, It's a lot smaller than I expected." And immediately on the heels came my second impression, "Why hasn't someone put a level on this thing... it's titling to the right."So, yeah. I might be a bit sensitive to things being level. But the chair -- remember the chair... this story is about the chair -- the chair was so crooked that it would have even been shunned by Bernie Madoff, the largest Ponzi swindler in history, who was never on the level.To confirm my judgment of the chair, I pulled out my trusty masons level and laid it across the arms. Yup, crooked. Then I put it on the seat. Still crooked. Then I tried swiveling the seat, and curiously, the bubble began to shift. On a full rotation of the seat, the bubble would change from one side to the other, with two narrow spots within 360 degrees that were level.That pointed to either a problem with the base, or the stack of parts that make up the post.At that point, I decided to order a replacement. This is where Amazon really shines; they got one shipped to me right away.After the second chair arrived, I decided to test each part of the first chair as I was dismantling it. Once I got all the way back down to the base, the trusty level confirmed the problem was with the plastic 5-legged base. That meant that even a slight out-of-level condition would be compounded each time another piece was added during assembly.With the investigation finished on chair 'one', I opened chair 'two' to inspect only the base unit. The mason's level, once again, confirmed an unlevel condition.At least I didn't waste time putting the whole thing together to end up with the same result.Some people might not be bothered by such a thing. Some people might be okay with finding one of those two narrow points, in 360 degrees, where the chair is level. But if you are like me, with a highly tuned bubble level in your butt (which is notably different than a bubble-butt), and you hate the thought of wrestling your chair into submission each time you want to sit down, then you may want to bypass this chair and opt for one with a metal base.Even a metal one may not guarantee a level chair (if the hole in the center is not perfectly perpendicular), but I think it will raise the probability of not having to work while leaning to starboard.Good chair, have 7 of these. Can’t put too much weight on arms (as if pushing down on them to get up) as they will bend.This is a nice high drafting stool for those with fairly high tables; I have a Futuro drafting table that is 32" high when it is level, and this stool is a bit too high for it even at it's lowest setting. The stool is so comfortable and supportive, that I put 1" risers under the table legs rather than return the chair. The top of the seat on the stool measures 24" at it's lowest and extends up to 27-1/2" at its highest - this is the top of the seat, so it will crush down a bit under weight of the user. It doesn't compress much, though because the seat, while very comfortable, is not very spongy at all. The seat has a very sturdy, supportive feel, and the mesh back rest is well formed and placed for back support. All controls, wheels etc., work smoothly, and the stool is good looking. I am a watercolor artist, and I find the extra height gives me a better view of my work while allowing me to keep the table surface flat. I am 5'9", but short thru the body, so take your measurements into consideration as well as your table top height when matching the stool to it. It was packed well enough, and easily put together in 5 minutes or so. Minimal smell to the foam and seat materials. Have had for perhaps 4 months, am very happy with the seat.I don't have the desk I'm planning to use this with yet, but I'm pretty happy with it so far! It's just slightly too tall to use with my normal sized desk at the lowest setting, but I get the impression that, if you left the foot ring & extension off, it could even be used for normal desks! It's pretty comfy, nothing spectacular, but better than sitting on the couch to do homework :)The only reason it's not a 5-star: putting it together had a hitch. I opened the box and the screws had poked a hole in their bag and gone everywhere, but I had the right number so no problem there. The instructions describe 4 or 5 types of screws, but I only had 3 types. I had screws for the arms but didn't order the model that comes with arms, so I don't know what that's about. Basically, all the screws went in just fine except for the four that attach the mechanism to the seat. Those seemed to get stuck very quickly, but with a power drill and some persistence, my dad and I got them screwed all the way in. I think we just didn't have enough strength or the right drill bit.Perfect! I'm using it for college studios this year and so far it's been comfy and great! Beware though, it is a bit wobbly if you move too much and anyone under 5'5" won't be able to touch their feet to the floor even on the lowest setting. There was a bit of residue on the plastic portion that connects to the wheels. But it's easy to get off with a washcloth. Other then that, it's comfy and looks nice!It’s a tall drafting chair and works for what I need. A taller back would be nice, or at least a little give, but for the money not bad. Only real complaint is the packaging. Inside the box it looked like they just tossed it all together without concern for breakage. The telescoping sleeve arrived cracked. Barely noticeable, especially once assembled, so not worth returning, but something to note. All 5 tips of the base were also slightly scuffed on top. Since I’m using this in my garage for my home office, again not worth returning, but something to think about if aesthetics are important in the use of this stool.Pretty easy to assemble. Worth purchasing a set of additional rubber wheels if you have hardwood floors