Like other reviews that I read, the stool when sat upon gets shorter because of the soft padded seat (which is exactly why we bought them).   To remedy this problem, I simply purchased some 3/4" steel spacers from the local ACE Hardware Store and some longer bolts to attach the swivel to the stool.  That, plus the leveler feet on the stools made them almost "just right!"  We are happy with the way they look and have been a big improvement over the plain wooden stools we had before.  They really classed up the kitchen!