These stools are clearly less expensive than a lot of stools from a variety of places, but they are the best for the price that I have ever seen! They are in my sons home and they are used primarily by their children, and they are surviving very well! I spent a lot of time looking in a lot of places for stools for them, and this is the best of the best for the application that i selected them for. The kids are not extremely abusive, but they are kids and they do "use" things and these stools have exceeded expectations.