Author: Gauri Kshirsagar

I regularly explain concepts to my twins on a white board, which is mounted at my height therefore it becomes a bit tiresome when they want to use it.  I had been looking for an easel, which could be easily folded and stored. One of my twin prefers a white board and the other a black board with chalk when I ask them to just express themselves, to make sure they understand a concept by having them write it out or depict it, or explain concepts and ideas in a visual manner. I chose the IKEA Easel for it’s multipurpose use. The easel has a whiteboard on one side and a blackboard on the other with a space for a roll of paper in between.

The product came in a good packaging and padding. It was delivered on time by IKEA – India. It is easy to set up with just 3 steps. I, personally, like that the legs are one solid piece. Some of the easel available the legs need to be attached to the main board area with wingnuts. It has to be constantly adjusted and tightened, causing it to be of kilter and wobble. That is not the case with this design. The tray is the perfect size. It’s sturdy but light. The dimensions of this product are Length: 43 cm (17 “) X Width: 62 cm (24 “) X Height: 118 cm (46 “). The height cannot be adjusted, but I think it is good enough even for a 11-year old.

THE WHITE BOARD SIDE:

The white board is smooth, even and writes very well with any markers. I own this amazing IKEA-MÅLA Whiteboard pen set (Article:501.933.17) which I have been using since a very long time. They come in 4 assorted colours (red, black, green and yellow). The best part of this product is that the 4 pens and 1 eraser are combined together in a practical case and I don’t have to search for them each time I write on my board. Since they are non-toxic I bought a set each for the twins. These pens have a shelf life of two years but the lifespan of the pen will decrease if used on paper. The whiteboard pen will leave permanent marks on most surfaces and materials; however, immediately washing the area with a stain remover may give good results.

THE BLACK BOARD SIDE:

Coming to the black board side, it has the right friction needed for a chalk to write perfectly. It is sturdy and comfortable to right. Any chalk can be used on the board, but I prefer to use IKEA- MÅLA Chalks (Article No: 501.933.22) which come in 6 assorted colours in a case. Though the TOTEBO white chalk pen is a good option for black boards, but it doesn’t write very well on this one. Since the tray is below the black board side of the easel, it catches the chalk dust very well. Only complaint is the chalk side is somewhat a little harder to erase. However, using a damp rag it does all wash off and the chalk doesn’t scratch off the chalkboard material which I’ve seen happen on others.

THE ART PAPER ROLL:

The best part of this easel is the attachment for a roll of paper which easily converts the easel into a artist’s canvas. Any standard paper roll will do but the perfect drawing paper roll is easily available on IKEA (Article No: 804.610.83), and is 30 m long (98 ‘). The quality of the paper is not super deluxe, but does the job just fine. It is bleached chlorine-free paper.

With a price tag of MRP Rs.2,506 (incl. tax) (Deal price of 1,790/- INR, on IKEA India, it is a budget buy.

Cost of the accessories is listed below:

1. MÅLA Drawing paper roll MRP Rs.419 (incl. tax) (Available at 299/- INR on IKEA- India)
2. MÅLA Whiteboard pen MRP Rs.279 (incl. tax) (Available at 199/- INR on IKEA- India)
3. MÅLA Chalks MRP Rs.279 (incl. tax) Available at 199/- INR on IKEA- India)

The IKEA MÅLA Easel is also available in three other colours:

---

*Thanks a lot for visiting my blog. Please do ‘★ LIKE’ the post if you found it to be useful.Your comments, suggestions, criticism and all opinions are very much appreciated. Please do write your queries in the Reply/comments section and I will try to get back to you asap.

---