Review: The KraftGeek Inspire Easel - Versatile, Inspired Design & Affordable
If first impressions are important, then call me impressed. Recently I was asked by KraftGeek to try out and review their “Inspire Easel”, which is offered for tabletop display, floor display and plein air painting. It was shipped as scheduled and securely packaged in a custom box. Upon opening, I discovered a beautifully illustrated four step vellum instruction sheet as well as a compact, more detailed User Manual. After quickly absorbing these, I jumped right to setup.
Inspire Easel High Quality Packaging and Instructions
The Inspire Easel looks and feels upscale. It’s sleek and well articulated, with telescoping legs that can be calibrated for level surfaces and customized for rough, uneven places. The Inspire is a sophisticated looking display and tabletop easel offered in Oak, Black, and White finishes. I’m primarily a plein air painter, however, so that is where I put the easel to the test.
I previously had a very expensive ($800+) plein air easel with telescoping legs that continually stuck, so I was skeptical about their ease of use on the Inspire right from the start. This easel, however, came through like a champ. In just a few minutes I had the Inspire up and balanced, ready to go. It felt solid, sturdy and easily fits into my roll-around supply cart as well as a supply bag.
Tabletop Position For The Inspire Easel by KraftGeek
The image above shows two inset pegs on the bottom of the legs that fold down easily and hold canvases under 1.5” thickness. One drawback to the peg holders is that your panel has to be larger than 11.25” in width, which is rather large for plein air painting considering you have about two hours before the light changes and need to cover a canvas by then.
A 9 X 12” or larger canvas could be used, as long as the top was clipped to the vertical easel bar for stability. KraftGeek might consider adding more pegs for smaller paintings. At the top of the easel there is an expanding holder with a tension grip. There’s even a ¾-inch threaded mount at the very top - a thoughtful and useful addition for phones, cameras, lights, etc. Canvases up to 26” in height fit the easel.
The image below shows the Inspire easel used as a tabletop display. It elegantly displays the artwork of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Chimney Rock, NC. that was recently shown competitively.
“Chimney Rock Last Light”, Pigment on Aquabord, by Catherine Twomey
Inspire Easel Plein Air At High Vista, Mills River, NC
Once out in the field, I set up in a flash. The amount of time saved on setup was well worth the cost of the easel alone. There’s a handy hook on the bottom back to hang a weighty bag for windy days, though for this light breeze morning the easel was wonderfully stable without a bag.
The above image, however, shows what I consider to be the biggest drawback to the Inspire easel when used for plein air painting. There’s no supply tray! I had to precariously balance my palette, solvent and mediums around me on various chairs. I would be first in line to buy a lightweight tray accessory attachment to hold my supplies if offered by KraftGeek.
Plein Air Painting Using The Inspire Easel
As painting got underway, there was no holding back. I put all my usual slapdash strength into the brushwork without incident. The easel held up well, with no slippage or drops. As the morning moved along, the sun began to burn off the fog and a slight breeze came up. Out came my umbrella attachment (not included with the Inspire Easel), a weighty mechanism that would be a real test for the easel’s legs, but was critical for painting.
Umbrella Attached To Inspire Easel
Umbrella Attachment (not included) - Front Leg
The umbrella attachment is as heavy as it looks. It easily clamped on to the Inspire’s front leg and held the umbrella without an issue. That’s when the excitement began, however! I suddenly noticed the painting falling away from me. I discovered a first-time user’s error - I hadn’t completely locked in the Inspire’s back leg-locking mechanism, which is just a very simple twist to make at the bottom of each leg. Fortunately I caught the easel and painting in time, tightened everything up as it should be, and continued. I’ve concluded that the additional weight of the umbrella holder revealed my lax leg locking skills! My advice is to take extra care to lock in the legs at the start of every session to guarantee disaster aversion.
Artist At Work, Inspire Easel
In conclusion, and I do not write this lightly: I love the KraftGeek Inspire Easel. I’ve used a lot of easels over the years, but this was the easiest to set up, the most beautifully designed and for a small person like me - lightweight and compact. Put an attachment tray on it, and it would completely fit the needs of plein air painters.
If you’re interested in purchasing the KraftGeek Inspire Easel, follow the links below and be certain to apply the discount code. Happy painting!
Discount Code: Easel123
KraftGeek Online Store: https://bit.ly/4mvRS8f
Amazon US: https://amzn.to/4flUcLj
