07303 Gaucho Stool, Walnut Finish, 18-Inch

UPDATE 9/12/2012Please read my original review below, particularly the 2nd paragraph that discusses assembling the stools.These stools won the admiration of everyone who sits at the kitchen counter. We had more people than stools so I came to order more. The price had gone up substantially, and now includes shipping. Since all of the Amazon reviews mentioned what a great value the stools are, I could not help but wonder if the price change was because it appeared that we (the customer) would pay more for the stool. When I first looked to purchase new ones and saw the major price increase, I decided to wait and see what would happen with the price. I waited 2 weeks and it did not change. I went ahead and ordered the stools. A month ago the price was $37.99. Now they are $58.99 plus shipping. That is a 58% increase in price. I will leave the reader to make what they choose from this data. As I mentioned, I bought two more so obviously I was willing to pay the higher price even thought I was shocked and not thrilled to see such a steep price increase.ORIGINAL REVIEW 8/9/2012I was truly surprised by how nice these stools are. I needed a stool of this height for an island counter in a temporary house. I did not want to put a lot of money into a stool not knowing if I would use it later. When I found these I thought the price was too good to pass up. I expected marginal quality and hoped that they would last the short time I needed them. It is good that I like them because they are going to last a good long while. They are sturdy, attractive, and the finish is well done. Fine furniture they are not but you can use them in the corner of a room with fine furniture and no one would run screaming from the room. All kidding aside, these stools are attractive, the finish is a nice warm color that tends toward the red side (as opposed to the ubiquitous espresso color). The stain is light enough you can see the wood and the wood is pleasing to the eye. The edges are rounded and have the feel that wood develops over time.Two things are worth mentioning regarding the assembly. It is deceptively simple but there are no directions, just an exploded view drawing. First, there is a little hole drilled on the underside of the rung that has no purpose for the assembly of the stool (presumably it did for manufacturing). After I figured that out, spotting the hole was a simple way to tell if you had positioned the rung correctly. The second thing to know is that these are wood and you are putting screws into wood. So many assemble-yourself things these days are press fitted or putting fasteners through a drilled hole. This stool has the hole well started but you have to put the screw into the wood. They provide a small Allen wrench but I could not do it that way. I went and got a manual screwdriver with an Allen wrench head and was done in a few minutes. With power tools it would take seconds.

Considering I paid quadruple this for some counter-height stools elsewhere in my home from a local store, I'm thrilled with these. The quality is great, and they arrived quicker than expected.They do come in pieces (seat, two assembled legs and two rungs each) and require four screws each to assemble (included, of course). It was super self-explanatory and simple. I didn't bother with the provided allen wrench, opting instead for a ratchet with a hex head that I already owned, which probably made things a little simpler. All the holes and preinstalled pegs aligned just fine. Overall, I was able to assemble four of these in probably half an hour on my own.The finish is a nice satin sheen and the color is a slightly warm medium brown. I love the detail of the faux dovetail on the seat... just gives an inexpensive stool the look of some real character. The stools also come with little wooden inserts to cover the screws, which is a nice touch.They're really nice and sturdy. Every piece appears to be solid wood.These are the height of a normal dining chair (not counter height or bar height), so just watch that and make sure it's what you're looking for. I purchased these to sit at a sofa table behind our couch, and they'll be the perfect height for a 29-31" tall table.

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wood used in the construction of the stools. They are very sturdy and the finish on the wood makes them look rich, and they are comfortable to sit on. They were very easy to assemble. However, due to the angle of the legs, the pieces of wood you have to attach have very slight angles on the ends. Fortunatley, there is a groove on the underside of the pieces, which if you turn down the angles of the edges will meet the legs perfectly. All the screws are deeply recessed, but they provide wooden buttons to cover the wholes. They fit quite snuggly, which is good. I actually had to hammer a few of them in for a really tight fit. I would recommend these stools to anyone who I looking for a general use stool that is strong and yet has an attractive finish.