Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsHigh value chair, Responsive customer support, some notes
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2023
I got this chair about 6 months ago. I'm a bachelor and I've been sitting on folding metal chairs so this was a SIGNIFICANT improvement. That being said, I do use office chairs at my various jobs, so I've had a moderate level of experience with chairs.
The packaging was sturdy, as others have mentioned. The chair came undamaged. For assembly, there are tools and instructions provided. I'm fairly handy and it took me about 15 minutes to set up the chair.
When I sat down in the chair for the first time I breathed a sigh of satisfaction. I'm 6'/180 lbs, and the chair is spacious enough for me to feel comfortable, tall enough to provide full body support, and adjustable based on my needs.
Over the past six months the best thing about the chair is that I don't usually notice it. The chair does it's job well and I can focus on my work. There are a few times I notice it and think about the chair. I contacted customer support about a few of them, and they were very responsive. Here's the things I've noticed.
The first is that sometimes I wish the arm rests were closer in. They could be closer in if I took out one of the screws but I'm not inclined to tradeoff the stability and sturdiness for having closer armrests. I will often adjust the top rests inwards to have a closer resting place for my arms.
The second is that it was hard to move on carpet. This isn't the chairs fault, lots of chairs are hard to move on carpet. I should get a mat, frankly. I received some different wheels for the chair from GABRYELLY, and they increased the ease of movement enough that it was noticeable. They are more likely to require me to get out of my chair to adjust them sometimes, so I'm not sure which I prefer, as the other ones were hard to move but I never had to get up.
Another is that it didn't feel like the chair was tall enough for me. Perhaps my desk is taller than many, but the upper limit of the chair wouldn't allow me to rest comfortably at first. When I asked GABRYELLY about this, they said that they had high gasrods (the center support bar of the chair) but that they were out of stock. The new wheels they sent me were tall enough that it just met my requirement, and I'm happy with the new height of the chair.
The built in lumbar support is enough for those with good to moderate posture. When I asked customer support for a lumbar pillow, they promptly provided me with one. The lumber pillow is comfortable and nice, but I've found that the straps with buckles don't stay where you put them on this chair model. The straps slide down and I have to adjust them. It's annoying enough that I usually just place the pillow without buckling it and hold it there with my back. That works great for me, although it's tedious sometimes, I mostly don't notice it except for when I'm tired of holding posture.
Finally, I notice the chair when I sit down in it. The thing is so darn comfortable! I also notice when I engage the leaning lever and relax backwards to the perfect angle. It's very nice and I appreciate having this chair very much.
Customer support, as others have mentioned, is very responsive. There were a couple things to note.
1. They eventually told me they only give one freebie per order. I've seen others who have received requests for trade ins, and I'm not sure if that affects things at all. I also am not sure if they would offer to sell me something past the freebies.
2. They do ask you to give five star reviews. This doesn't bother me as the reviews are my deciding factor in buying on Amazon - and the chairs, as I've mentioned, are high value, and worth five stars.
3. They didn't say anything about extending my warranty after I emailed them four or five months later. There may be a timeline on this. If I were you, I would try out the chair for a week and let customer support know how you like it sooner than I did, and they can help you sooner. They may even convince you to write a review ;)
I liked the chair enough that I bought one for my brother, who lives with me. He's 6'3", and 250lbs. He's enjoyed the chair a lot as well, although he's not much for in-depth reviews. In neither mine, nor my brothers case has the chair degraded in quality in any way after buying it. I'm not sure how long chairs are supposed to last, but these one last at least 6 months from my experience, and they are going strong!
If you have a comfortable budget, I would recommend this chair. They have other models if you have less budget room, and in that case I can still recommend the customer service, although I haven't tried their other chairs.