Steelcase Gesture Office Desk Chair with Headrest Plus Lumbar Support Cogent Connect Malt 5S27 Fabric Standard Black Frame

I knew I wanted a nice office chair for WFH during the pandemic, and my search eventually led me here. I'm going to include all the information I wish I could have found when I was doing my research haha.First, the other chairs I was considering were the Steelcase Leap V2, the Herman-Miller Aeron, and the Herman-Miller Embody. I was able to try all three in-person locally, but there were no Gestures for me to test drive. I took a bit of a gamble on this chair buying it blind (...and truth be told, was planning on returning it if I did not like it better than the other three), but it paid off! I did not like the mesh material of the Aeron at all, and the Embody was waaaay too expensive compared to the Gesture (and was, at best, only just as good, IMO). The Leap V2 was also very, very good, and a cheaper alternative to the Gesture... but I personally preferred the Gesture, which fit my back better.I'm 6'5" and was specifically looking for a chair that would work for tall guys. I have no problems -- with the right adjustments, it fits my back perfectly and my head rests right on the headrest. I'm also really glad I was able to get the High Height Range option.Definitely glad I got the lumbar support. Again, my back was a huge concern, and this was a key feature for me.Color-wise, I could not find any photos of the Blueprint fabric. I don't think the photos in the product description are at all representative of the real-life color, so I've included some photos of my chair to give some reference. Again, I gambled on the color, googling for Cogent Connect fabrics and trying to judge images of the Blueprint color from them. Fortunately, I really like it -- it looks very good in-person, more subtle than the other blue shades you often see in Gesture advertising material.The fabric texture is different than I was expecting... I was hoping for something more meshy/soft. Cogent Connect reminds me of a fabric I'd find in a car seat or something, and retains heat just a touch more than I thought it would. But, I wouldn't say it's bad at all, just different from my expectations.Overall, I really love this chair and am glad I went with my gut and tried it, as opposed to settling for a used Leap V2 or something. Buying it new also meant I could get all the key features I wanted (lumbar support, height, etc.), and not settle for whatever happened to arrive at the second-hand store. I work a lot on my computer and see this as a worthwhile investment that I will enjoy every day I sit down for work for the next ten years. I've already noticed a marked improvement in my back and butt compared to the previous $200 chair I bought from Office Depot a few years back -- I wish I could have afforded something like this from the get-go.So, yes, great chair, and great investment! If you can afford it, go for it! If you can't, the Leap V2 would make for an acceptable alternative.

Should’ve got this at the start of the pandemic when working from home, would’ve saved me some back pain issues. Instead went through successive chairs from cheapo chinese made chairs on this site, to ones that were several hundred bucks from big name furniture maker. They all sucked, with poor construction and not great lumbar support.This chair is ridiculously expensive, but the darn thing adjusts six ways from Sunday. You can dial it in and get the perfect amount of support. There are videos on YT that show you how to dial this chair in. So watch those before you buy. I wanted a blue one but couldn’t justify a couple hundred more bucks just for the color. The black chair looks fine, and works even better.

Due to the cost of the chair I contacted the seller with numerous questions. Their response was quick and well informed. I asked for the platinum back on my chair which they did. Shipping took about a week (partially due to an issue with the label at FedEx.The chair came fully assembled and with covers on the armsTo the chair:Very comfortable once adjusted. The Lumbar is really a slider that allows you to move a slight (but invisible) “budge” up and down. It would be nice if it could go down just a little lower, but I’m short and it’s still very comfortable. The head rest was worth the extra cost. The angle and height can be adjusted and I like it very much.The arms are great, easy to move and adjust with a great range of options. The arm angle is stiff enough not to move on their own. The arms aren’t padded. I have gel armrest pads that I bought for my old Areon chair. The Areon chair is more breathable but harder on the seat. Thus far the seat hasn’t become hot or uncomfortable so it’s to be expected. You can also sit on the edge of the seat comfortably (which you can’t do on the Aeron). The Areon feels a bit more like more of a bucket seat than the Steelcase. This makes sense as the Steelcase is trying to let you “sit” in more positions than what the Aeron was designed for.Leaning back, you can feel the Steelcase gesture chair shift to maintain support. Even stretching my arms over my head at the maximum recline shift the support through the movement. The seat makes it feel like it doesn’t lean as far back as my Aeron, but it really is about the same.My girlfriend, who thinks the Areon chair was made as a primitive torture device that seats all the people in the waiting room in Hell, also finds this chair to be comfortable.There aren’t a lot of reviews of the Gesture with the headrest and the adjustable lumbar so I wanted to add one.

I was initially dubious that a $1300 chair was worth the cost but my wife talked me into purchasing it. My previous desk chair was a soft, fake leather pedestal chair that was too short for my desk. I got it used and the very thin fake leather was flaking off. This Steelcase chair is great. The seat is firm and comfortable. The chair is remarkably and effectively adjustable. The arm supports are adjustable in three dimensions. The recline function has 3 recline positions AND micro adjustments within those 3 settings. The seat can be adjusted up and down and also to the front and back. It is an extremely comfortable chair. I've only had the chair for about 3 months but I expect it to be durable over many years.

For the price you would think it had diamonds in it, Which ironically the seat would actually be softer if it was made with diamonds. Avoid If you are a large person, I weigh around 280lbs which isn't even close to the 400lb suggested weight of the chair.