My tiny grandmother always had one of those when we were growing up! I feel your pain on the height thing. Although I am 5'5" I married someone a foot taller than me who seems to think that places like the tops of the cabinets are good storage for items such as the toaster! Or he'll put stuff in the laundry room cabinets when there's no chance of me being able to reach over our pedestaled front loader to get it!

I would think something like this stool would be nice and stable, but a total pain to store when not in use. If you have an empty cabinet it could go in though maybe it won't be a problem for you.

That's the only thing I'm worried about... I don't have a totally out of the way place to store it. I have a little hallway to the garage where I could probably put it without it being in the way. I'd still see it, but if I got it in lime green or bright orange (doing jewel colored accents in my kitchen) that might not be a bad thing.

I have one in the black/grey. It's actually not such a pain to store. . . I have a couple favorite "spots" for mine. . .one is next to the dishwasher in front of a lower cabinet I don't access too often (when I do, I just roll it into the doorway and then back); another is in the pass-through utility (I'm with mrsjoe on the pedestaled front loader!), and if there are a lot of people in the kitchen, I roll it into the utility closet. Even though you have to move it around some,it's a lot more convenient to bump it out of the way v. dragging out a step-stool and setting it up and reverse to put it away. Bottom line, I love it!!

Awesome, thank you so much cherigw, that's just what I was hoping to hear!

I'd like to hear more from users. My wife is 5'00" on a good day and we will need some sort of set up in our new kitchen, which will be very tall (12' ceilings). It's $50 on Amazon, which seems a bit high at 1st thought. We also wouldn't really have a place to store it, but if it just kicks around...?

I have the red one. I used to work in a library and used them all the time. I was delighted when I found them on Amazon. $50 is a good price--I think they sell for $69 regularly.

I keep mine in a corner, in front of a lower cabinet I don't use very much. When I need to get into the cabinet, I roll it out a couple of feet, get what I need, and roll it back. Or, if I need something from the lowest shelf of the cabinet, I sit on the stool and fish around to find what I'm looking for.

If it is in the way, you can just push it out of the way with a nudge of your toe. They roll very, very easily on a hard surface floor. While they aren't heavy or difficult to carry, it makes a lot of sense to store it where you need it the most. Then just shove it across the floor with your foot.

They also make great little seats for small children. The wheels disappear when you sit or step on them, so the kids can't coast around the kitchen. But they do like to perch on them.

Hah! I didn't think about the benefit of a low seat to help my poor back when rummaging around in a lower cabinet. Good insight!

I am also not tall and have one in blue to match the last kitchen. I'm thinking I'll have to put one in black on this year's gift list to match the almost completed kitchen I keep mine in the corner of the pantry under the lowest shelf where it out of the way - I have very few upper cabinets so don't need it too often.
Linda

I NEED one of those!! I am too short to reach ANYTHING....found out today that I cannot put washed wineglasses on the rack in the hutch!! In heels maybe....but June Cleaver I'm NOT!!

Nancy

My mom has one and my favorite thing about is how it levels itself. I'm a *bit* clumsy and love how stable it is. My moms is at least 20 years old and still in great shape.

I grabbed a small one from the Container Store and it's in my narrow 9" cabinet.It's a total luxury, but I love having it right there. I saw it in someone's kitchen here, but can't remember who. Those others, that Kik stool totally get in the way and eventually the "suction" on the bottom wears out and then it's out-right dangerous.
here's mine

. . .2nd what camlan said! My grandaughter also loves to stand on mine at my stainles worktable when we make pizza.

DJHinVA, your set up is very pretty, but I still like the fact that mine is "out and about" and moves wherever I want it with just a nudge, so for me, it's really not ever "too much" in the way. I've had mine for about 4 years and so far, no loss of suction, but I'm sure camlan with her library experience would have a much better feel for how long they last. The ones at my library look pretty well worn and I haven't noticed a problem with the suction on them (great for shuffling through books on the lower shelf).

If you get one make sure it doesn't squeek. I also worked in a library and for some reason all those stools made a horrible screech sound everytime they moved. It was nails on a chalk board for me. Maybe they just needed to be oiled.

Just my 2 cents.

There's no suction involved. There are wheels inside the stool. They are mounted on springs. When you step or sit on the stool, the outside of the stool lowers and touches the floor. There's a rubber (I think) guard on the bottom that makes contact with the floor. It's non-slip. Between the guard and your weight on the stool, it doesn't move.

Now, eventually, that rubber guard could break down and crack or rip. Just as the rubber guards on the legs of any other stepstool could age and crack. You can buy a replacement bumper guard for about $12.00.

The company has a 10 year guarantee on the stools. But in the years that I worked in two different libraries, they didn't order any replacement stools. New ones, yes, because some of the old ones "walked away," but none broke while I was there.

My house is 110 years old. The kitchen floor slopes in two different directions. I don't think there's a completely level square inch in the room. The Kik-Stool works very well on uneven floors. It has a nice, wide platform to stand on at the top.

Yes, it takes up a bit more than a square foot of floor space. For me, the pay-off in having a convenient, easy-to-move, always-ready step stool is worth it. I dislike having to retrieve a step ladder and open it up and then close it up and put it away, when all I have to do is slide the Kik-Stool over with my foot and then slide it back again. Someone else might prefer the floor space. It's all about what works for you.

I have two (and I'm 5'10" tall but we have 8 foot high cabinets). One is in the laundry room off the kitchen (my old dark grey one) and one newer stainless one in the kitchen. I have a spot for it in the pantry next to the wine fridge and I just kick it in there when we're not using it. I love that I can hook it with my foot and kick it where I need it if I have dishes in my hands. I also have a folding Rubbermaid stepstool with three steps that is higher but find it a pain to get out and just use it for lightbulbs or dusting where I need to be higher. The kids also love using ours for helping in the kitchen (the main reason I bought a second one ... avoid the fighting). The only thing I don't like about it is when it gets dirty in the grippy cracks. Maybe someone who has one has a better idea on how to clean it. I ususally just rinse it off in the sink (versus individually cleaning each little crack).

My mom has one, and I guess she likes it, but I find it to be always in the way. She has a small, cluttered house and no out of the way spot to put it. Yes, you can kick it out of the way, but I found that I'd move it and then it was in my way again.

DJH, which step stool is the one you have?

I have one and I use it all the time. It rolls right into my pantry in my kitchen but I usually leave it out. When it's in my way I just give it a little push with my foot.

I have one tiny issue with it and it's that the grooves on the steps tend to hold dust and dirt. I'm probably the only one that notices and it's not really a big deal.

I've had mine for over five years and haven't had any problems with it.

I have 2 and will probably get a third one. I have a red one in the kitchen and a white one in the master closet. I don't feel the necessity to hide these - they are very attractive and very useful too. Which is why I think I will get a 3rd one for the laundry room!

I too use it to sit on for various reasons - even in the garden! :-)

If I had to pull out a step stool every time I needed one and then put it away again - it would drive me nuts. I'm 5'7.

I think you will love it! And the colors are so fun!