Vestil CPRO-600 Ergonomic Worker Chair, 220 lb. Capacity, 14" x 9" Seat, 13" - 34" Height Range

After a few months of weekly use, this chair is an essential part of my observing setup. Surprisingly stable even with the seat at the top rungs. Easy to adjust the height and setup. Benefits of sitting vs standing at the telescope are well known, more stable viewing, less fatigue etc. Wish I had gotten one years ago.

A great chair for astronomy. If you have a telescope and need to do direct viewing, you know that the seat has to go from high to low.This chair is well made and sturdy. It support up to 220 pounds and the seat is cushioned and easy to adjust.My only concern is the feet are rather small and place a great deal of weight on a very small footprint.Since this chair may be used in an area with a soft surface, it would be nice if the feet were completely flat and allowed more contact with a flat platform.The chair does fold flat for easy storage and has a good weight and heft indicating a heavy weight steel..A great stool/chair for anyone who needs to go from low to high in seating needs.

Recently, I was able to upgrade up to a 12" (mirror diameter) Dobsonian telescope, and while the drummer's throne I had was fine for my 8" Dob, it could not come close to being tall enough for comfortable views in the 12". As a result, every time I used the bigger dob, I would have to stand at the eyepiece and my observing sessions would be cut short by aching feet and a sore back. Clearly, an observing chair was on my must-have accessory list!A couple of weeks ago, I began researching my options, and the top 3 choices (in no particular order) that would fit my needs were Starbound, the Vestil CPRO-600, and the Denver Observing Chair. The Denver was my least favorite option of the three, mainly because of the weight. While the solid wood construction would definitely hold up to my hefty (over 250#) self, I didn't think I wanted to be moving a heavy block of wood around my telescope several times every night.That left the Starbound and the Vestil. The Starbound has a lot going for it, including a thick padded seat (although I'm well padded on the backside, I don't like hard seats) and infinitely adjustable positions. The Vestil, on the other hand, had a small footrest at the bottom (to help raise your body up to sit at the higher positions) and a notched seat layout. The notches are 2" apart and you can only adjust the seat to sit on one of those notches. This means a bit of fumbling around in the dark to move your seat up and down, but doesn't have the risk of slippage that the Starbound has.Both chairs were similar in price, but in the end, I ordered the Vestil through Amazon.com. The Amazon advertising only rated the chair at 220#, which worried me, but after hearing other people's experiences with the chair, and reading about the same chair being rated at 400# on other sites, I decided to give it a try. If it didn't work, I was sure Amazon would be willing to let me return it.The chair arrived a few days after ordering it, and is a gorgeous black. Unfortunately, a white version wasn't offered, so I will have to put some white tape or something on it before using it at a truly dark site to keep from tripping over it in the dark. The chair folds flat for storage/transport, and the seat easily removes without tools (just raise it up and lift it off the horizontal notch). There are 4 legs on the chair, which may not work well on uneven ground (I haven't tried that aspect yet), but they are bent sideways at the bottom to give the feet more surface area and making it less likely for them to sink into soft dirt.Last night, I was able to use the chair for the first time. I set up on my driveway. I looked at objects in my 12" ranging from zenith to nearly on the horizon. Regardless of where I pointed the telescope, it only took a few seconds for me to adjust the seat. The seat itself, although thinner than the Starbound, was comfortable enough and even rocked a bit from side to side, making it easier to sit on it without accidentally bumping the scope. Throughout the night, I kept listening for the telltale sounds of a squeal of protest from the seat or chair frame, meaning that it was straining beneath my bulky load. But it never happened. The chair kept me fully supported without complaint all evening.The seat is made of a textured material (probably manmade, but I'm no expert at such things) that seemed to hold the dew at bay, at least for the few minutes I was off the chair and grabbing another eyepiece out of my case. Even though my telescope was soon literally dripping wet, my chair seat remained dry. I'm sure if I left it unattended for 10-15 minutes, that would change, but hey, if there's a chair around, I'm going to be using it.When I ordered the chair, I wondered if I had made a mistake in not ordering a chair that was infinitely adjustable. It turns out, it doesn't really matter that much. I looked at a couple dozen objects over the course of the evening, all at different altitudes, and I only adjusted the chair 3-4 times. If I found myself leaning over too much, I'd knock it down a notch. If I was stretching my neck, I'd raise it a notch or two. My back and neck were able to fill in between the chair gaps without discomfort.Even though it has only been used once so far, I am pleased with my purchase. You would think that $160 would be a lot to spend on a chair (and you'd be right), but the comfortable views at the scope are more than worth it. When you're concentrating on how much your feet and back hurt, it is very difficult to concentrate on that dim patch of light in the eyepiece. With this chair, you can just sit down, make yourself comfortable, and soak in the view as long as you wish.

Why not 5 stars? It is pretty heavy. But this probably adds to its stability. My friend tried it out (who weighs 350 lbs) and with the seat 1/3 down from the top, he couldn't get it to easily tip over. It is very stable, though you'd think by looking at it, that it would have a high center of gravity and easily tip over -- not so. It works on any level surface (ground, cement, asphalt, etc.). I use it in my amateur astronomy observations. Folds flat with the seat detached. Attaching seat or adjusting its height to a new'rung' can be done in a few seconds. The seat is not ridged. If you lean forward it will tilt slightly -- not enough to affect stability or to let you slip off, but just a little to avoid the seat edge from cutting into the back of your legs. Very well designed.

I use this with my telescope and love it. The seat adjustment is quick & easy and the design makes it impossible for the seat to slip down into a lower position while in use. That's important because I have several herniated disks in my lower back. I mention this because I had been using a chair of similar design but without the ability for the seat to lock in position. Consequently, it was always sliding down and it constantly left me fearful of further injuring my back. With this chair, I no longer worry about that and I'm able to concentrate on astronomy.

When my scope first arrived, I was excited to take it out (on a cold night) and see what I could see. This initial excitement outweighed the somewhat uncomfortable positions my body assumed (especially when the OTA was pointed towards the zenith). However, on the next day, my back let me know that it wasn't too fond of this activity: my viewing of Jupiter for the first time (as well as following/tracking it) completely distracted me of the fact that I was holding a posture that was, at times, truly uncomfortable.This chair solves all problems related to awkward positioning: you can sit comfortably (at almost any height and for any amount of time desired) and focus on the viewing. No sore back the next day -- no strain. I consider this a necessity for maintaining my newfound interest.Highly recommended.

Great chair! I use it for observing at a telescope as my Newtonian sits high off the ground with its equatorial tripod mount. You can raise it as the description says to a height of about 34 inches. No assembly required (although you have to put the seat onto the rack of course). As other reviewers have pointed out, it's a little heavy, but I imagine that's for stability. Material is definitely not cheaply made. Also, under the seat are what appears to be four shock springs or something like that--which allows the seat to lean in different directions according to how your body weight on the seat is distributed. This allows you to lean forward comfortably.