I recently got the opportunity to try out the Inspire Tripod Plein Air Easel by KraftGeek. A great easel is a vital staple in any artist’s toolkit, and it’s essential when working inside and outside of the studio. I had seen this easel popping up in my Instagram feed and being featured by artists that I admire. One of my biggest complaints about many portable easels is that they are an awkward size to transport, too heavy or too light, and not as sturdy as I’d like them to be. Most artists don’t have the time, finances or desire to play guessing games with what works and what doesn’t. I was eager to see if this Kraftgeek easel lived up to the hype.

Disclaimer:
This is a sponsored blog post. Keep in mind that I partner with companies and their products because of their quality, and not because of any incentive that I receive. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you. This post contains a discount code and an affiliate link. There is no extra cost to you to use the link and it acts as a thank you if you find my review helpful.

About KraftGeek

As is customary with most of my reviews, I like to take a moment to talk about companies that might be newer or that readers might not be as familiar with. KraftGeek is a relatively newer company having been founded in 2022 with an office based out of Irvine California. KraftGeek describes it’s company’s mission best saying that it “began with a mission to reinvent the creative process for artists and creators. We believe that the process of creating shouldn't be bound by the limitations of space but should be accessible to the moment of inspiration.”

A quick visit to their website reveals they don’t just manufacture artist easels, they also create innovative accessories for photographers, vloggers and musicians. The company has won a handful of industry awards for their product designs with a notable achievement of having their phone tripod and music stand featured in the world-famous MoMA for its remarkable modern design.

Product Specs

Clamped Canvas Height: 16-26'' / 40-65cm
Max Height: 65'' / 165cm
Weight: 3.85lbs / 1.75kg
Max Load: 11 lbs / 5kg
Material: Aluminum Alloy, ABS, PC
Available Colours: Walnut, Oak, Black, White
Folded Dimensions: 4*2.2*19.9'' / 10*5.6*50.6cm
Suitable Painting Type: Acrylic & Oil Painting

Packaging

The packaging of this product is clean, well designs and makes you want to keep the box. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while you know that I’m a sucker for a well designed package. For an easel that’s regular retail value is around $211 CAD / $129 USD, I’m happy to see the company takes the unboxing experience as serious as it does the design an aesthetic of it’s product. As artists we are naturally drawn to things that look beautiful and my first impression before even seeing the easel is that it was going to be beautiful.

The outer packaging features a full-colour sleeve that shows the product fully extended on the front along with the product name. The sides and back detail the product features and easy setup steps. Under the sleeve is a simple but sturdy cardboard box that has the company logo and additional info on it. Once again if you wanted to keep this box for storage and recycle the sleeve you definitely could.

The inside of the box reveals a styrofoam lined area for the easel to sit in comfortable without bouncing around during shipping, and again adding to the premium feel of the unboxing experience. There is also a beautifully designed quick start instruction sheet which is revealed as soon as you open the box. You could keep this for reference or as an extra dust cover during storage.

One thing that was very apparent with this product is that they are extremely clear about giving instructions on how it functions. It might even be overkill for some, but to me it just shows they want people who purchase their product to have a clear user experience. There is a traditional user manual booklet tucked under the easel as well but I love the idea of the quick start sheet for those who typically ignore those manuals.

SETUP

Setup was as easy as all of the diagrams implied. When first pulling the outside arms of the trip apart, it’s smooth but not too quick. The slight bit of resistance is actually a good sign because it also means it won’t collapse in on itself unexpectedly.

The tripod legs extended fluidly and even have size markers printed on them so you can precisely adjust the height on each leg. The only part I found a bit challenging to get the hang of at first was twisting the legs to lock them in place. While I like this design feature, I also think it leaves a bit of room for error if you don’t twist them far enough. The tripod feet have sturdy non-slip silicone pads on the bottoms and have icons printed on them that help remind you which direction to twist to lock and unlock.

You can use this easel as a tabletop or full-standing easel. It’s incredibly lightweight and sturdy in its design. All of the components are very compact, which makes this easel ideal for tossing in a tote bag or backpack if you want to paint on location.

The ledges that the canvas sits on easily fold out from the easel’s arms and the top of the center bar. These ledges hold a gallery edge canvas comfortably, but anything wider than 1.5 inches will sit on top of the lip at the edge to secure the canvas in place.

This is a nitpicky detail, but so far, my only real concern is coming from these ledges. They appear sturdy, but I worry about them snapping or breaking off either by accident or if someone is too heavy-handed. I don’t think this component can be replaced if it does break so something to be mindful of when using this easel. They are also designed to work with a gallery edge canvas so if you are using a standard depth canvas or a board, it will have to slide on an angle forward to hit the front ledge lip to be most secure on the bottom.

As mentioned in the product specs section, the easel can hold a canvas up to 26 inches in height. The easel height can be adjusted by turning a knob located on the back of the center bar and pulling it up. The top support is on a spring, so it clamps down at the top of the canvas to minimize slippage and keep your canvas securely in place.

Initially, I thought the size restriction was a bit limiting, but this is not meant to be a Jack-of-all-trades easel. If you purchase this easel for plein air painting you are likely also not painting large scale. If you are looking for an easel that holds oversized paintings, this is not the one for you. However, if you are comfortable working 26” in height and under, this will work great.

A couple of additional details I noticed are that the top of the easel has a 1/4” screw mount for a device, camera or light attachment. There is also a hook at the bottom of the center bar to hang a small lightweight bag or additional tools.

Final Thoughts

This easel really impressed me overall. It’s not hard to see why it has been getting accolades for it’s design which is smart, efficient and honestly just really nice to look at. While I don’t think this is an easel that will suit everyone’s needs, it definitely has a lot of great features and design considerations that will make this easel a fast favourite for many.

Since I don’t paint outdoors or plein air, I would use this easel most often as a tabletop easel or a standing easel for smaller pieces. It’s even nice and sturdy enough to use as a display easel if you choose. The lightweight, compact size and quick setup and take down is ideal for anyone who doesn’t like a lot of fuss with their setup or likes to change locations even within their home. While I have a dedicated art studio in my home, I often like to work in different rooms as well for variety.

So does this easel really live up to the hype? Overall, I would say yes!