HumanScale Freedom Chair, Black Wave Fabric

I really want to love this chair but one big problem with this chair is stopping me. I like to recline when working on my computer so when you do recline the main seat doesn't tilt like other chairs. This forces you to slide off your chair all the time! If you're wearing some slippery pants or shorts, you slide right off.Couple other problems. My wheels (hard floor) clang and click when I move around. I contacted the manufacturer and they sent me out a new pedestal (where the wheels connect) it stopped the clicking but the wheels still clang around when rolling around. I complained again and they said it was normal. Doesn't seem normal for such an expensive chair to clang so much. Also recently my headrest started to creak when I lean my head back.If it wasn't an expensive chair I wouldn't complain but I paid $1500 for this chair and that's a lot of money for me.

I inherited this chair after someone moved from the office and I have been using it for over 6 years now and I absolutely love it. At some point, I got a real Aeron chair and couldn't wait to get back to this one. I now want to buy the one with the head-rest but I didn't realize they were this expensive. I am thinking of moving across continents next year and this chair is going with me even if I have to pay $500 to ship it.Features that I like:The ability to recline without the chair trying to push me forward. The chair can recline up to a 135-140 degree or so.The fact that the chair follows me when I sit straight and my back feels supported in either situation.I also love the handrests. They move easily and click in place. Yes, they only have a few positions and they don't move individually but I never felt the need to move them individually.I have suffered from backaches and carpal tunnel for most my grad student years until I got this chair. I even moved it with me for 2 months when I had to leave my apartment during the summer after a fire. My memory foam mattress topper, this chair and the glare filter on my computer screen are the few of my most favorite things. I am generally not a "things" person. I had a foldable desk for a desk for a couple of years but I am absolutely in love with this chair.Sizewise, I am 5'4" and 140 lbs.Also, I didn't get this particular chair from this retailer to be able to say anything about shipping etc.

Worst chair ever. Zero support in the lumbar area. Shouldn't chairs promote good posture? This thing takes decent posture and makes it bad posture.Maybe it's me, but I like to lock the lumbar in place to give me some support. The lumbar/backrest on this is completely free, and acting like a fulcrum, connected with the seat. When you put any pressure on the back rest, the seat lifts slightly. I guess it's trying teach by pain?Why put a back rest on this chair at all then?This is some sort of joke I think? Right? People in my office have started to buy their own chairs (these were part of a new office setup) and replace these uncomfortable beasts.Worthless. Save nearly a grand and get a metal folding chair from the BINGO hall.

I really am surprised by the other reviews rejecting this chair. Maybe they dont get what the millions of freedom fans understand.This chair is not going to serve anyone's OCD with knobs and levers and controls. This chair is about form and function meeting somewhere in the perfect middle. If you want a chair that is strong, durable, effortless, responsive, supportive, and easy to own, this is the one.As usual, I spent WAY too much time researching and test driving all of the top chairs. Here is my cliff notes results:Steelcase Leap- too stiff and the back did not return or assist my return to the upright position from reclining. It felt very odd to have your chair back still reclining a few seconds after you have already sat up. Very odd action.Steelcase Think- this was my second favorite chair after the Freedom. The think chair is more straightforward than other ergo chairs, but does have some controls. I did think that I was going to wear it out really quickly, though. I am a big guy, so I know I would have found this chair's weaknesses and ruined it.HM Aeron- okay...i never had the chance to get into a C size, and after seeing the chart, I am not in the B or B/C stage...I, at almost 6' and 250, am a clear C. The B chairs were too narrow in the seat, with the hard lip design that is used. Maybe the C would have been better, but it felt like sitting in my STi. Like a really nice Recaro bucket seat for racing with side bolsters. Which is great if you are throttling through turns and traffic (going the speed limit). Not so cool when it is in your office chair that you would like to have a bit more freedom (cough cough).HM Celle- just too stiff. no wonder it was discontinued.Ergohuman- #3 on the list. Love the headrest and the ability to completely move things around to match your perfect angle. But...just way too much for someone who is only obsessive in the research phase and wants to never have to think of the item again. In this case, I just wouldnt do that to myself. The investment in fine tuning a chair like this is required...I didnt want to have more work to do once I got the chair.and that leaves the Freedom. Let me say again, I am 6' 250. I do not have the issues that others have with feeling like I am being propelled out of the seat. The seat mechanism is supposed to be weight based. I am not sure what the minimum is to get it to work harmoniously, but the top of the curve is beyond 250 as this seems to work in all angles perfectly. The base is metal and extremely well built. I have a carpet and the large wheels seem not to notice. The chair does not wobble side to side at all. The reclining angles are fantastic. The arm cushions are gel in my model and are friggin sweet. The top position for the armrests is at a great height for my preferences, and allow the chair to be scooted under the desk when I leave my desk, which not many chairs can do. Its nice having the extra room back in the floor space when the chair is all the way under the desk up to the back rest. The seat fabric is cool and does not build up heat...and it seems to handle my abuse quite well. I also find the lumbar support to be great. If you need a lot of lumber support, you probably would need one of those mesh bumps anyways. I think if you use the backrest height adjustment wisely, you will find the support you need. In the lowest setting, it might not feel like much unless you are 5' tall.The thing that sold me about the chair was how it felt when I sat in it. I just knew it was built right. I didnt have to dial it in for 3 weeks to get there. it was like a custom tailored suit that responded when I moved right off the shelf. It is strong...we will see about the arm strength in the years to come...but the frame, the materials, the base...all strong. When you lean back in this chair, it is like the action of a finely tuned machine. It does not wiggle, wobble, snap, creak, lean, stick, or otherwise make you feel like it shouldnt be doing that. For it to handle my size so easily, it must be built quite well.I have heard that Humanscale is also the best company to deal with if anything ever goes wrong. whether you be the first owner or last owner of the chair. Luckily, I havent had to find out.Thanks,Craig