“I have owned the chair for about a month now, maybe more. It arrived clean and sleek looking, almost entirely assembled. I have detailed my key points below.
1. First thing I noticed was an unbearable screeching coming from the gliding mechanism. I was able to fix this by turning the chair upside down and blindly spraying lubricant into the only slot leading into the mechanism.
2. The chair seems to feel weak in one spot on the backrest that continues to make a clicking noise every now and then, a minor issue.
3. The gliding mechanism of the chair will tense up or release at random pushing me to or from sitting up straight alignment.
4. This is more of an unappealing manufacturer feature that I have come to dislike as the backrest feels like it is going to bend and tip over if you are very tall and leaning back. Would be nice to have the ability to move the backrest up a bit.
It is a great chair considering the new ones are twice as expensive. Do I think the chair is worth 1200 dollars? No I do not, not even in brand new condition, but you are paying for the 12-year warranty and that's the guarantee that you will have a high-quality chair for many years to come. This is a very nice buy at half that price, with the warranty intact.”
“I have chronic back pain. It was a good chair, but not comfortable enough for me. I returned it. I appreciate the simple return process (otherwise I would not have even tried it). It was not as comfortable as the chair I replaced it with, the X chair.”
“I don't ever leave reviews, but this deserves one. The Leap v2, even refurbished, cost more than I ever thought I'd spend on a chair. But with a 12-year warranty on a chair I'll spend up to a third of my life in, that's like $0.20 cents a day. Definitely worth the investment.
As for the chair itself, it's extremely high quality. If I didn't say it was refurbished, you'd think that it was brand new. Especially with the beautiful upholstery. Even the original Steelcase arms look and feel perfect.
For reference, I am 6 feet tall and close to 300 pounds, and have never felt like the chair wasn't strong enough. I can sit fully reclined with my feet on the desk, or with one leg tucked under me, or more "œproperly" and be comfortable in any position.
As far as negatives, there isn't much to say. When I first got the chair, I put it together without reading the instructions, and had the cylinder in wrong. It was a bit of a pain to get back apart and aligned correctly, but that was totally on me.
There was also a squeak when I reclined that first day. I let April at BTOD know, and she walked me through how to fix it quickly with some WD-40 dry lube. I haven't heard anything since.
The review videos mentioned the lumbar as an issue for some, but I ended up being happy with it cranked to the max. Knowing I could remove it if needed was nice as well. There is also a mention of tailbone soreness. I have experienced that a handful of times, but only when I've been seated for more than a couple of hours in a not-great position without adjusting. I've also always had a headrest previously, but haven't missed it once, even fully reclined. I literally forgot they existed until writing this review.
The only thing that I don't think is perfect has to do with the amazing armrests. As adjustable as they are, I do wish that they were a bit harder to move in and out. I tend to move them in, then lean on them. If I'm leaning more at an angle instead of straight down, they have a tendency to drift back out.
If you're on the fence, allow me to push you over. Get the chair. I was considering getting a cheaper version, like the Clatina Mallet to "œtest the design" for a year or two before actually buying the Leap. I'm so glad I didn't. I could have spent 1/3 the price, but for a chair that will realistically last 1/6th as long. The Leap seemed really expensive up front, but the refurbished one is basically 50% off already for what feels to me like a new chair, and has been one of the best purchases I've made. I think you'll feel the same.”
“I am a 5' 2" woman who works 8 to 12 hours a day at my 29-inch-high desk. I had watched all of BTODs reviews, and decided to buy the Haworth Fern. It's a gorgeous chair and I used it for three weeks at my fixed-height desk of 29 inches. I had the chair at the top of its height and used it with a foot rest to get the proper leg angle. I experienced hip pain that I've never had before. I tried all of its considerable options to get comfortable and concluded that the seat just wasn't for me. I returned it.
At the same time, I realized that if I got a lower desk, I could use an ergonomic chair at its lowest setting and not need a foot rest to have my feet flat on the floor as is ideal. I replaced the legs on my desk with custom legs that were 6 inches shorter. (I hadn't realized that a motorized desk could provide a lower desk height option.) I purchased the refurbished Steelcase Leap2 to replace the Haworth Fern. With these two modifications, the hip pain was nonexistent. I can sit in the chair comfortably indefinitely. The seat, lumbar, and arm adjustments are easy and intuitive. The rollerblade caster option is a fantastic way to protect my hardwood floor. It's a beautiful chair and the rollerblade casters make it look sporty.”
“Love the chair. The main back angle adjustment was squeaky do some plastic rubbing against metal under the seat, but that was easily remedied with a little WD-40. Overall, it's a very comfortable chair and feels basically brand-new.”
“This is the second of these chairs I've purchased within a week of each other. The first, for my personal use, is wonderful. No problems. The second, my employer purchased for me. The arms are significantly lesser, which really is too bad, because of how superior the home purchase was.”
