Ok, so it's rather expensive, but don't let that put you off. Mind you my husband had a funny turn when I told him the price, but justified it by saying that it would last another decade at least. This is a wonderful ironing board and worth every penny. I had an ironing board for over 10 years until it finally gave up the ghost. So I started looking for something that was solid, stable and fit for purpose. I trawled through shops and catalogues, only to find them fall short on one or all of a simple criteria. I am not a fan of ironing, I try and spend as little time as possible ironing, so to find an ironing board that I actually enjoy using is a bonus. The best thing about this board is it's large ironing area, you can finally put clothes on it and not have them fall off. Even the kids will iron their cadet uniforms now! You can set the height to your personal preference so every time you open the board, it falls to that height. I was a bit concerned about the huge rubber ball attached to the board, but if you have young children, it's a good idea, as it stops them from lowering the board and trapping their little fingers. This is a large and I mean large ironing board. It's not heavy to pick up, it's just large which may cause a problem for putting it away, but you won't have the legs fall on you as they lock into place when you close it. This ironing board is very stable on carpeted floors and doesn't rock when you use it. If you want an ironing board to last you, and let's face it, who needs to keep on buying an ironing board, it's not exactly the latest fashion item to have to keep updated. Then this one is the one to buy. Thanks Brabantia.