Drafting Chairs And Stools Compared

Drafting stools and chairs alike are two of the most commonly used tools that designers depend on. There are those designers that use their stools and chairs on a daily basis and then there are those that go even further to use them for hours and hours at a time. Most of your other equipment has been tossed around in frustration several times over but your chair however is one of the few that hasn't.

A big misconception of many designers is that they use the terms drafting chairs and drafting stools to say the same thing. The truth is drafting chairs and drafting stools are a world of a difference. Not only are they different but they're almost like two completely separate tools and any designer that's been through their share of both will definitely agree.

A drafting stool (at best) is no more than a very basic tool. Its main use is to give you some height for your drafting table and not a lot more than that. Forget about things like comfort, ergonomics and the like. Drafting chairs are somewhat the complete opposite. They not only give you the great ergonomics and comfort but a whole lot of utility too. Drafting chairs are for more than plenty of reasons better than drafting stools.

How about we take a quick look at how drafting chairs and stools differ.

An armrest is probably something you've never compared between two chairs since it may seem pretty basic. Well, between drafting chairs and stools the armrest is a world of a difference. Why? Well mainly because drafting stools have no armrest to show. Drafting stools rely on armrest add-ons which may be purchased separately. Drafting chairs are always provided with armrests since the whole meaning of a drafting chair is complete comfort and ergonomics. Designers are well known for taking breaks and taking a break without an armrest is a bit of a pickle. Ask any previous stool owner he'll point out how having no armrests can tend to be a pain.

A chair is usually expected to have a backpiece so why would a drafting chair be an exception? Well it isn't but indeed a stool is. Stools have no backpiece whatsoever. This is one factor that greatly hampers the safety, comfort and overall ergonomics of a drafting stool. Why safety? Well the absence of a backpiece is known to cause a number of back problems and therefore stools are pretty much a hazard for designers working long hours.

Although some people might think it's not a big deal but the padding of your drafting chair is an unknown blessing. Ask the designers using a stool how their stool's padding is. You'll often hear that there is no padding which is partially correct. Drafting stools generally only have one padded area and that is the main seat. A chair has adequate padding all round.

So as you can see, there are a great number of reasons that a drafting chair is better than a drafting stool. Most experienced designers will advocate the same and if you've been wondering what to look for then these points should give you a better idea.