Product review (2 stars): Disappointing Quality
Given the high cost of this item, I was surprised by the low level of quality.

Underneath the stool are 3 PLASTIC casters.  Not only are the actual wheels plastic, as one might expect, but the entire caster is plastic.  Also, there is spring-loaded portion of the caster that slides up and down when weight is applied to the stool, and this sliding portion of the caster is also plastic, sliding up and down through a very sharp metal hole.  Plastic sliding against sharp metal doesn't bode well for product longevity.

I anticipate these plastic casters will fail from wear (or outright break) in a year or two, at best.

The stool also doesn't roll straight when pushed with your foot, as one might expect, but tends to roll in a circular pattern, which can be slightly annoying when moving the stool from one side of the kitchen to the other.

The edges of the 3 stainless steel "legs" at the top of the stool are also VERY sharp.  The steel should have been bent over to make a "rounded" edge (as was done for the top standing platform edges).  A child, and also an adult, could easily get a deep cut from the sharp metal edges on these 3 "legs."

The rubber bumper at the bottom of the stool is VERY thin, and will probably not last through too many "bumps" against the kitchen baseboard molding.

As for its function as a stool, I weigh about 185 pounds, the stool is rated at "300 pounds," and while it doesn't feel like it will collapse, it doesn't feel rock solid, either.  Perhaps making the 3 stainless steel "legs" a thicker gauge steel would help.

The stool is made in China, and is priced as if made in the USA.  My wish is not that the price be lowered, but rather, that the quality improve.

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AUGUST 9, 2010 UPDATE:
After weeks of use, we are seeing black plastic shavings appear on the kitchen floor due to the black plastic casters "sliding up and down through a very sharp metal hole" as mentioned in the original review.  The sharp metal is actually shaving away the plastic wheels.  Poor design, poor construction, poor materials.