What does a leather recliner, a couch and a bar stool have in common? Once you discover a soothing seating soulmate, you'll reenact the most gruesome of Game Of Thrones scene in order to protect these loyal trio. Picking the perfect bar stool is a bare-knuckle affair, that if not approached with clear mind, will quickly have you mincing words with the folks at your local insane asylum.
A man’s bum will find no greater comfort than the perfect bar stool. If perfected, the right bar stool set will ultimately set an “hombre’s” life into perfect equilibrium. He’ll be able to manage and face whatever trials come his way, just as long as he has a place watch his T.V. and drink his brews.
Ranking | Product | Our Rating | Price |
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2 | |||
3 | |||
4 | Set of (2) Bar Stools Leather Modern Hydraulic Swivel Dinning Chair Barstools | ||
5 | LexMod Philippe Starck Style Charles Ghost Bar Stool (set of 2) |
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Man Cave Bar Stools Q&A
When you're looking at potential bar stools, there's probably a lot of things running through your head to determine which one is right for you. This is a common issue, so we're here to solve it.
Why get a bar stool in the first place?
Bar stools are to chairs what a jetski is to life preserver; they will both accomplish the same thing once the Titanic goes belly up, just not in the same manner. Fitting your man cave with the proper Bar Stool is akin to going back in time and riding rings around poor Leo DiCaprio as he’s fighting off fresh icebergs.
It’s not an easy thing to do and one can get lost with all the choices, but you’ll know when you get the right ones.
It’s all a question of style over substance. Bar stools are what men get to spruce up their Fortress, chairs, on the other hand, is what your wive might get you as a Christmas gift because she thinks your macho-den needs a: “woman’s touch.”
Bar Stools reek of testosterone, adrenaline and cheap beer. You sit tall on a bar-stool, lording over your domain, while the peasants have to slouch back on their sissy chairs. On a bar stool you’re channeling your pub hoping ancestors, drinking in their soul, wisdom and spirit.
On a bar stool you’re once more claiming your dominance as Alpha Male of the neighborhood; only Beta’s like to sip their Miller on a chair.
Ultimately, why get a bar-stool? Because you have two cojones in your pants that demand it! It’s as simple as the manly alternative to a regular chair, and it’s also practical. You can’t slide a recliner under your bar when you’re not using it.
Advantages and benefits over chairs
Aside from the fact that they are transportable. Aside from the fact that most weigh a portion of what that deviled furniture weighs. Aside from the fact that where one chair goes you can fit a score of bar-stools. The real advantage of a bar-stool is it’s ability to grant you a mock pub in your man cave; the sort of pub that would have Homer Simpson frothing at the mouth.
What’s the difference between a stool and a bar stool?
If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, then it’s a duck.
In the words of Donald Trump during the debates… WRONG. It could very well be a swan, or an albatross. For all you know it could be, God- forbid - a Geese.
All bar stools are stools, yet not all stools are bar stools; wrap your head around that nugget of eastern philosophy! The trick? Rather simple…
The stool has to be, wait for it, wait for it, it will blow your mind… The stool has to be next to a … BAR. That’s the secret of the perfect bar stool. If there’s a decent chance of somebody losing consciousness on it, then- by God - you’ve got a bar stool.
What to look for in a bar stool
Height: A very delicate topic. Not only will it make you take a long hard look in the mirror; “Am I Godzilla or a Leprechaun?” It will also have you dusting off the tape-measure and figuring out what sort of bar counter you’ve found yourself straddled with.
There are 3 different types of stool heights: short/table height (16”-23”); counter-height (24”-27”); bar height (28”-33”).
The fatty ratio: Let’s not dally around your emotions and try to ease you slowly into the truth. If you’ve partaken of a healthy doze of Kentucky Fried goodness, if the thought of dipping something in scalding butter seems like heaven to you, then there is a good chance that your thighs have a Cartman girth to them.
Between a counter-top and the seat of the stool, there should be a 9-12 inch gab; this is the standard measurement. Still, if you think you might be smuggling in a baby rhinos in your thighs or your pelvic region has a secluded kangaroo pouch overflowing with shit, then do take this into account.
Weight: Most stools are fairly light, the idea is for them to be transportable. Still, be wary of their weight. Certain materials, if used improperly, may very well end up costing you a trip to the chiropractor.
Cost: How much are you willing to blow your wad on? Remember, a stool does not come alone; it’s a knocked up puppy about to birth a litter. You can’t just buy one stool, you have to buy at the very least 3 or four. And, like all things in life, you can buy a pair at your local Dollar Store or you can splurge on some deco’ contraption made from endangered Amazonian redwood.
Style: Rustic, Vintage, Victorian, New-Age, Bauhaus, Vanguard, Classic… Like a Chinese menu with too many pages, and far too many characters, sometimes the best way to pick your meal is just looking at the pic’.
Material: Stools can be made out of anything. With the right kind of creative inclination an artist can worm out a stool from absolutely any material. Hippies can make stools out of recycled trash. Yuppies from papermache and 100 dollar bills. Hipsters from the very fabric of their ego. Serial Killers… Well, you get the idea; even a skinned leg-bone can do wonders.
The top five materials the big manufactures use in the assembly line are: metal, wood, leather, vinyl, fabric and polyurethane. For everything else, your best bet is to go off the beaten path and get yourself a Man to B.S translator; your linguistic skills, plus your patience, will surely be tested once you enter arts and craft world.
Function: Those crafty lads in the big corporation are always trying to rope us in. To give us a PLUS above their competition. A stool’s primary function is to act as your butt’s rest, everything else is just gravy. But, given how many stools flood the market, the big honchos are always in the kitchen cooking up some greasy salsa to entice us with.
The most common extra a stool has is the SWIVEL head. From there on, past the swivel, we can have adjustable heights with hydraulics, pockets on the side, USB charging docks, and, even, a seat warmer capability – good for the man who always gets a chill on his balls.
Best Man Cave Bar Stool Reviews
Ranking | Product | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | |||
2 | |||
3 | |||
4 | Set of (2) Bar Stools Leather Modern Hydraulic Swivel Dinning Chair Barstools | ||
5 | LexMod Philippe Starck Style Charles Ghost Bar Stool (set of 2) |
Boraam Augusta Swivel Stool, 29-Inch, Cherry
Quality
Price
Our Rating
There are pubs… The sort of pubs where CCR is a cornerstone and minor sport disagreements are settled with fine displays of Pool Cue athletics. The sort of pub, that simply put, make life worth living.
This is the signature piece of any tavern. Two heights, light brown wood that ages with time, faux leather upholstering, gray undertones, vintage appeal, a whole lot of malarkey written up to infuse the fact that this is a “Cheers’” chair.
This is the sort of stool that might as well come with an Irish temperament and functioning alcoholic personality. This stool is a Mc Something, an O’ Reilly or perhaps a Smitty.
Sturdy as hell, with a rustic touch and a nice chair back. The sort of stool that can take a scuffle in the meanest of circumstances.
PROS
- Vintage classic appeal
- Swivel head
- Two heights available
- Easy to assemble
- Wire bruch effects and undertones
- Three colors available
CONS
- Will need to be readjusted over time
- Not real leather
Winsome Wood 29-Inch Saddle Seat
Bar Stool, Black
Quality
Price
Our Rating
Sometimes all we really want, all we really need is a rum and Coke. Screw the extra lime. “Away into the night you craft beer monstrosity!”
A classic, no bullshit, Coca-Cola with a little rum. That’s all we need.
The same goes for our furniture. Will it keep me upright? Hell yes! Will it come assembled? Nope, but all you need is an allen wrench or a small ratchet. Will it hold my years of binge eating? (Yes, it can probably hold a baby elephant.) Will it cost me an arm and a leg? Nope.
Economical, stylish, sturdy with a low gloss finish. It’s main job, keeping you erect, it can do that. To top it off its lacquered wood has been imported from the far exotic regions of Thailand; so, if nothing else, that’s a conversation starter right there.
PROS
- Sturdy
- Two sizes available
- Three colors available
- Affordable
CONS
- No added functions
- No backrest
GIA 24" Metal Stool (Set of 2) - Industrial Tolix Style
Quality
Price
Our Rating
“What the hell is that!?”
“A bar stool…”
“It looks like an iPhone Cover…”
Metal, aluminum, the final frontier. This is the sort of stool designed for the guy who gets a hard-on every time Apple begins detailing the iPhone’s new finish. (We’re not judging, we’re just saying.)
The sort of stool made for those high-tech minimalist guys who love the smell of metal in the morning. This is the sort of stool for the fella’ who wants to feel as if he’s in the Starship Enterprises’ command deck.
PROS
- Scratch resistant finish
- Easy to store
- Highly supportive for the big guys
- Rubber feet so they don't slide and scratch floors
- Three colors available
- Sold in pairs
CONS
- No back rest
- No added functions
- Just one height
- Indoor use only
Set of (2) Brown Bar Stools Leather Modern Hydraulic Swivel Dinning Chair Barstools
Quality
Price
Our Rating
It’s slick, it’s easily transportable, it’s the polar opposite of classic.
“Don’t you dare move me woman! You’ve been replaced. From now on I’m living in this stool. Get me a bucket of cold ones and an I.V. unit.”
Sold in a pair, with a faux arm rest, a hydraulic mechanism and, without a doubt, one of the most comfortable cushions out there. This stool is the perfect centerpiece in any man cave whose prime objective is to give off an air of cool tranquility.
PROS
- Swivel
- Hydraulic for adjustable height
- Set of two
- Four colors available
- Excellent backrest
CONS
- Too flimsy for the big guys
LexMod Philippe Starck Style Charles Ghost Bar Stool (set of 2)
Quality
Price
Our Rating
These acrylic beauties are the Predator of bar stools. If you can manage to hold your liquor, and find your bar stool all night, these knockoffs of the original Ghost Bar will grab your friend’s attention and have them scratching their heads in amazement.
PROS
- Unique look
- Comes fully assembled
- Very light in weight
- Sold in set of two
CONS
- Holds up to 200 lbs
- Prone to scratches
- May get yellow over time
A proper stool is meant to do two things:
A. Compliment your man cave.
B. Keep you from laying on the floor like a bum.
And C - because we’re extremely bad at math – be a place to rest your ass.
The right bar stool will ultimately sparkle up your Fortress and make you sigh in despair every time you need to leave it.
Styles come and go. Retro is in today, out the very next. What’s hip right now will most likely be consider a flaming wad of toss in a few years. As such, for my money, I’ll implore you to seek out a classic if it fits your decor.
For its dough, a proper classic bar stool will end up giving you the sort of Pub Appeal that never grows old. Your tastes may change, but that comfy afterglow a proper bar imparts will never take a leave of absence.
There is a reason why, despite all the new establishments in the neighborhood, sooner or later we’ll always crawl back to our favorite watering hole. There’s a reason why Homer “He Of The Duff Wisdom” Simpson will always find himself - after 28 years on primetime T.V. - visiting Moe’s Tavern with his round derrière molding the leather to his ample cheeks.
A classic is the sort of stool you’ll never have to toss out when Facebook gets the bum’s rush and Snapchat is welcomed with open arms. It’s that timeless piece of furniture that your grandkids will fight over.
Because of this, we recommend that you get the Boraam Augusta Swivel Stool. Though it is a bit pricey, these are the types of bar stools that will last you for years to come. Plus, they’re sturyd and look damn good.
These bad boys tack off most of the boxes on the “you’ve made a right choice checklist” and give your testosterone filled room, that whiff of elegance and class the 90’s Baywatch Calendar, you tacked on near the bathroom.