Well, when you see that screw in the joint, that to me is indicative that they have had problems in the past with joint tightness, as least that's my personal takeaway on it. If the chair is correctly assembled, it should not need that. Most leg-socket designs should have the leg going through the sear and then pinned from the top in a bore and wedge construction, that's the best way. If it's just a hole drilled into the seat and the leg hammered into the hold via a mallet and a glue bond, that glue bond will eventually let go and that chair will wiggle. The single screw to me is so they can have a little insurance on that, but anytime you drill a hole in the wood and run a screw into it like that - in a stress area - it weakens the wood and you have the chance of a split in the wood or leg failure.

It's interesting they offer a lifetime guarantee with that construction. Questions I would ask :

* If the chair fails at the leg or spindle joint, is it repaired or replaced?
* Who pays shipping in the event of a failure and replacement / repair?
* Is the lifetime warranty through the dealer or the maker?

Myself - and this is just me - I would not buy a chair with a screw run through in a joint. That's what you see in chairs that have kluge repairs, not brand new ones. However, if you really like the chairs - keep on investigating and asking questions on them. They are machine made chairs, not handcrafted and that mortise and tenon they use is rounded for fast fitment, not squared off and pinned like in a correct hand-made chair. It's all price/value however.....to me at $ 600 per, I don't see the value.