As people begin a search for furniture, it is normally with the thought of couches, desks, tables, and lamps. When you also have a home office, though, you need to carefully weigh your options there as well.
In consideration of an office chair, especially an upscale model, the Humanscale Freedom Chair claims it can offer users maximum comfort with a minimum number of manual controls. The company and its chair promise long-lasting ergonomic support, all-day workday comfort and sleek design.
But, do they live up to their promises? Is the chair worth its $600 to $2500 price tag? For a basic review of the Humanscale office chair, along with its pros and cons, keep reading.
Lack of Breathable Seat Fabric
While some models of the Humanscale Freedom Chair come with mesh backs, the company has yet to offer a chair with a mesh seat. Instead, the seats are upholstered, meaning they’re not completely breathable and can often get hot and sweaty, particularly for those who are used to the airy and light Herman Miller chairs.
High Learning Curve
The Humanscale chairs claim they need minimal adjusting to achieve maximum comfort. And while these chairs do exhibit a small number of knobs, they can still be adjusted and adapted, but only after a full overview of the manual and a lengthy fitting session between you and the chair. That kind of subtle changes often requires a high skill level for many chair users.
Customized Construction
An interesting feature on the Humanscale website is the option to create your own chair to your specific customization choices. For example, you can build a titanium chair with standard gel armrests, covered in soft leather, built at a lower height and with castors made for a hardwood floor. Eclectic designers can even choose different fabrics for every seat cushion.
Intelligent Mechanism for Reclining
A major selling point of the Humanscale Chairs are their intelligent reclining features. So, instead of locking into a particular position, the chair is designed to be fluid and flexible, only ceasing to recline once your body relaxes and stops pushing back.
The chair’s unique and very comfortable recline feature basically adapts to your mass and motion automatically. As it does so, it adjusts the back tension, recline and even the arm and headrests. The primary principle of this idea is that the chair moves with you, not against you. For headrest models, owners can also expect the headrest to move with and adjust to one’s head.
So, is the Humanscale Freedom Chair worth the money? Can you afford to live without it? Most consumers tend to fall into one of two extremes – they either love the simplicity or can’t stand the fact that they aren’t able to adjust their chairs.
Overall, these chairs are best for standard sized individuals looking for a comfortable and high-status chair.
