Best Reviewed
Office Chairs
- Budget mesh office chair Office Star Air Grid Deluxe Task Chair *Est. $200
- Budget leather office chair Office Star Executive Ergonomic Leather Chair *Est. $250
- Ergonomic office chair Steelcase Think *Est. $690
- Office chair icon Herman Miller Aeron *Est. $630
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- Easy to adjust
- Gliding seat and flexible back
- Solid construction
- Plush, traditional appearance
- Expensive
- Big and heavy
The Steelcase Leap has won several prestigious design awards since it was introduced in 1999. The Leap chair has more padding and a more traditional appearance than other high-end ergonomic office chairs, especially those more recently introduced. And it has another distinguishing feature -- the gliding seat and flexible back allow for what users describe as easy and comfortable reclining. The Leap chair has a number of adjustments that allow you to fine-tune its fit, including fully adjustable arms and adjustable lumbar support. It's available in leather or fabric with different bases, but some options can really drive up the price. Steelcase's warranty covers three years on the fabric, 10 years on seating mechanisms and a lifetime on the rest. If you want to spend a little less, the Leap's sibling the Steelcase Think (*Est. $690) also allows you to make some adjustments yourself, but for the most part it automatically adjusts to your weight and movements.
We found the best review of the Steelcase Leap at Workified.com, which has staffers use six office chairs over several weeks. Wired offers a single-product review that lists pros and cons of the Leap. Owners' views are available at the Steelcase website; there are quite a few reviews here, some quite recent. Slate.com, in an older review, bases its assessments on the experiences of staffers who tried out several chairs; similarly, the Wall Street Journal tests five office chairs and offers significant detail on each. CrunchGear.com's review is even more detailed, but just three chairs are included. Contract magazine and About.com offer short reviews but without doing any testing, and AskMetaFilter.com has a discussion thread in which some participants own Leap chairs.
Think Chair by Steelcase
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| Featured Stores | Store Rating | Notes | Total Price | |
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 |  5,833 store reviews | In Stock. | $1,359.00 | See It |
 |  0 store reviews | In Stock. | $879.00 | See It |
 |  2 store reviews | Sorry, not in stock | $1,629.00 | See It |
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Workified.com compares and reviews six chairs used by their staff. At least three staff members test each, assessing comfort based on different sizes. Testers give the highest score -- 8.5 out of 10 -- to the Steelcase Leap. The review says that the Leap "was easily one of the most comfortable chairs we've experienced, and it has a very good blend of adjustability, without being overly complicated." Testers especially like the adjustable lumbar support and fully adjustable arm rests.
Review: Best Office Chair Showdown and Reviews, Editors of Workified.com, May 24, 2010
In this short review, the Leap is praised for its comfort and easy adjustability, as well as the fact that it's made of sturdy materials and should last a long time. The main negatives noted are its high price and large size. The reviewer also says the seat tends to move up and down "in jerks," which makes it hard to fine-tune the height.
Review: Review: Steelcase Leap Chair -- Sit and Grin, Danny Dumas, Sept. 17, 2007
Close to 60 owners rate and review the Leap chair here. The average rating it gets is very high: 4.5 out of 5 stars. The main pros and cons according to these owners are summarized at the top of the list, and indicate that most like the chair's comfort, durability, back support and attractiveness. The main negative is its high price.
Review: Customer Reviews: Leap Chair, Contributors to Steelcase.com
4. Slate.com
Eight Slate.com staffers spend weeks testing six different office chairs in this comparison test. They decide that the Steelcase Leap is "very good but not superb" -- nice-looking and comfortable, but not inventive.
Review: Sit Happens, Seth Stevenson, Dec. 6, 2005
Troy McMullen tests five office chairs, rating the Steelcase Leap as the best overall. He says it's attractive, "supremely comfortable" and easy to adjust.
Review: Sitting Pretty Smartly, Troy McMullen, Jan. 7, 2005
Three office chairs get individual reviews here, with the Steelcase Leap topping the list. Reviewer Blake Robinson says he injured his back lifting the Steelcase Leap. However, after recovering and using the chair for two weeks, he says he's pleased with it.
Review: Workspace Roundup: Ergonomic Chairs, Blake Robinson, Dec. 28, 2006
7. Contract magazineDetails/Subscribe
These two reviewers, who are architects and designers, discuss six ergonomic office chairs. Florencia Kratsman says of the Steelcase Leap that when upholstered in leather, it "exudes luxury." She likes the simplicity of the design and the fact that you can make adjustments, but there are no complicated mechanisms. The article does not indicate whether these two reviewers tried out the chairs they discuss, or are just reacting to how they look.
Review: Designers Rate Ergonomic Seating, Wayne S. Koch, Florencia Kratsman
8. About.com
Abe Abbas, About.com's furniture guide, lists his choices for the top five high-end office chairs, and briefly describes the outstanding features of each one. The Leap is one of his choices; he notes that it "has a gliding seat and a flexible back that will conform to your spine, letting you recline without having to pull away." (Note: ConsumerSearch is owned by About.com, but the two don't share an editorial affiliation.)
Review: High End Office Chairs, Abe Abbas
A reader initiates this discussion thread by asking, "What's the best reasonably expensive (up to $1,000) office chair?" A couple of dozen people respond; many of them like the Steelcase Leap, while others mention the Herman Miller Aeron and the Steelcase Think.
Review: What's the Best Office Chair?, "lionelhutz5", March 12, 2007
The editor of this site is a 25-year veteran of the office chair business, which makes the depth of information here quite handy. There are too many 5-star ratings to be taken seriously as a critical aid in deciding what to buy. The Steelcase Leap office chair is one of the chairs with a perfect score.
Review: Executive Chair Reviews, Editors of OfficeChairAdvice.com
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