KidKraft Deluxe Wooden Art Easel for Kids - Double-Sided Chalkboard & Dry Erase Board with Paper Roll & Paint Cups - Espresso Wooden Standing Easel for Toddlers Ages 3+ - Perfect for Home, Classroom & Art Studio

The product was delivered before Christmas as promised but the delivery was at 8:25 PM.The carrier left the product outside the fence and didn't notify us that the product was delivered.I found it the next morning, but it could have easily been taken.I got around to assembling the products (I ordered two easels) on Saturday, Christmas Eve and there were several problems:(1) The holes in the cross bracing for one unit were not drilled and I was short one bolt for the cross bracing.(2) One of the trays for one unit was broken(3) All the parts were extremely dustyI tried to reach customer service on 12/24/2011 and the message indicated that I should call back on Tuesday December 27. I called five times on Tuesday and could not get a live person, I finally left a message. I had not received a call back by 10:55 AM PST on Wednesday December 28, so I called again and talked to a customer service rep. (my original message was not responded to until 3:38 PM PST on December 28). The customer service rep said that the reason for the slow response was over 5000 calls on Tuesday December 27th (not a good sign).The representative said that the problem parts would be replaced in two business days and they were.Finally, the assembly diagram supplied with the product could be clearer. There are multiple ways to assemble the product, but only one way if the goal is to achieve the fully assembled picture shown in the diagram.I wanted to get my god-daughter an easel and went on the hunt. I found lots of cheaper, plastic alternatives. But, since I knew it would be sitting out in the living room, I really wanted to find a more attractive version that wouldn't look like a child's toy, but like a real piece of furniture. This one fit the bill perfectly! It was relatively easy to put together, thanks to my hubby, and when all together, looks very nice with all the other dark furniture. The function couldn't be better! I was afraid that the chalkboard would be cheap and hard to clean. Not so! She immediately started drawing on it, and erasing when she was finished with each drawing. I was pleasantly surprised by how easily the chalkboard erased and by how clear it was after each cleaning. The same with the white board side. The storage underneath is going to be really handy for storing extra markers, chalks, and finished drawings. And the trays on each side are fantastic.I have to admit, there were some bunged up edges on the wood and one of the water cups had a broken cap, I assume due to shipping, but these issues were not a big enough deal to detract from the all-around awesomeness of this easel. If you're looking for a nicer, longer-lasting alternative to the plastic easels out there, this is the one!I was worried when I ordered this because of the negative comments in other reviews, but they were flat out wrong! The wood for the easel is real, heavy wood (with the exception of the trays-which is thinner but still sturdy). It was easy to assemble (took me about 15 minutes). We gave this to my daughter for her 5th birthday over 8 months ago and it's still beautiful! I'm actually shopping for replacement paper rolls! If you follow the instructions for the chalkboard, you will have no issues! We use both white and colored chalk without issue. For the whiteboard, we have used the whiteboard crayons and markers without issue. My daughter uses the easel probably 10+ hours a week and it's just as beautiful as the day we gave it to her! She has a TON of markers, crayons, colored pencils, chalk, paints, brushes and stickers in the trays and the one between the sides is great for holding all of her coloring books and big papers! Tons of storage, functionality and she still loves using it almost everyday! Definitely worth the money!Unfortunately I was misled by reviews in selecting this easel for my 8 year old twins. This easel is too short for their use. When my daughter holds a paint brush or piece of chalk, the level that she holds it at is at the very top of the space to work. It is already too small. At it's highest adjustment the top of the work space is at 41 inches. I wish this kind of detail had been included in the description of this easel. Others said it worked well for their older children, even into teen years. This is not true unless your family happens to be particularly short. The easel is nice looking and functional. I will somehow build onto the legs to left this easel so that we can make use of it. Certainly this will take away from it's attractiveness, as well as requiring further investment of time and money to make this easel usable for us. BUYER BEWARE. I am very disappointed. I had gotten rid of another easel because it was too short. Now I've replaced it with a nice easel, but still too small. Use only for preschool through maybe kindergarten unless your kids are on shorter side.Great for little ones to learn,practice skills,enjoy different medium!I ordered additional paint cups (recommend), it comes with two. This is all my 3 1/2 year old can talk about. She LOVES it and her attention span is extra great with these activities. It DOES come with a dry eraser for the white board, but not a chalk board eraser. I also ordered additional rolls of paper. The easel only comes with one roll.Assembly was not too difficult, although the bottom tray came apart because it is only put together with pegs, no glue. But not a problem, I added a touch of wood glue to add strength. I would purchase this item, even knowing this...it is not a deal breaker. The product over all is a good weight where it can't be scooted around for fun by the kids, but can't be knocked over either. It is a nice piece of furniture, and a great addition to your child's life.Nice easel. Works very well. I wish it folded up though but the trays do. And bottom shelf would be nice if it slid out or something. But it's very nice quality and fits with the rest of our furniture.This product was awful!!!!!!! It was supposed to be my daughter's Christmas gift and we opened to assemble onDecember 23rd to find we couldn't put together. All the pre-drilled holes were split....nothing would hold together because the wood was broken & split everywhere! The white board was cracked & not useable. I ended up with no gift for my 9 year old daughter. Extremely disappointed for the amount of money this cost! DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!! Now I have to try to get my money back for a product that is in pieces in the box! I had to click 1 star as a rating as I had to enter something but I would not give this any stars as it is not even able to be assembled!Best purchase made for my kid!!! If your little one loves art, just buy this!!!Beautiful EaselShipped quickly. It was easy to put together. Lovely to look at. Adjustable height to grow with my 2 year old. He loves it by the way. Very sturdy.I bought this item for my grandson for Christmas. Just over a month later and it has broken. I expected a higher quality item as this was not exactly cheap.Extremely disappointed.