Floor creepers are great for undercar work and standing works well when working under a hood, but what about the other jobs that can be done on a car such as replacing brakes or suspension components? Sitting on your rear end is no way to accomplish these tasks. This is where the shop stool comes in.
Shop stools have castors to allow you tool roll across the shop floor, move around the car, or adjust your position to get more leverage on a stubborn bolt. Some shop stools even have a tray built in to them to keep your tools organized and by your side. The high end models are height adjustable to get you to the right working height for whatever project you’re on.
Also, for you motorcycle lovers out there – if you have a lift table, and you aren’t using a shop stool, you’re missing out. Forget about leg pain and sore back muscles. With a shop stool, you can sit comfortably and worry about the task at hand.
The Best Shop Stool
After checking out countless shop stools, we did find a clear winner, and it doesn’t come from one of tool-truck brands. The Pro-Lift C-3001 Pneumatic Chair is our pick for the best shop stool. This little stool has all the features of the much more expensive models, yet it is priced far below the big brand models.
The Pro-Lift shop stool features a pneumatic height adjustment system that allows a full 5 inches of movement to get you lined up with whatever you are working on. The system couldn’t be easier to use-a simple lever raises or lowers the seat as needed. Speaking of the seat – this one is padded for comfort and covered in a tough reinforced vinyl that won’t soak up fluids or chemicals.
Under the seat, a tool tray provides plenty of room to keep the tools you need with you when you need them. The tray has dividers built in to keep tools separated and organized.
A very important thing to consider is the layout and number of castors. Too few castors, arranged poorly, and you will be tipping over often and cursing at the stool more than you use it (yes, we have some experience with this!). From what we have found, when it comes to the number of castors on a shop stool, the magic number is 5. Any less, and the stool feels less stable on uneven surfaces. The castors on the Pro-lift C-3001 shop stool are large enough to roll over most garage floor seams as well.
The quality of this shop stool surprised and impressed us. It is clear that no corners were cut during manufacturing. No, it doesn’t have the fancy name on it. There is nothing flashy or particularly pretty about it either. The beauty of the Pro-Lift C-3001 Pneumatic Chair is that it does everything it is supposed to do, and it does it very well. At the end of the day, that is all we ask of our tools, and it is why we are naming this one The Best Shop Stool.
When it comes to where to buy, we typically find the best price on the Pro-Lift stool at Amazon.com. Overall, we think you’ll get good use out of the Pro-Lift stool for quite some time and give it a strong recommendation. Happy wrenching!
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