You know sitting too much is bad for your health. Ask any doctor.
We should all be running around outside, chasing down our dinner and whatnot. That’s what nature designed us to do. The human body is predominantly made to walk, run, and jump around.
But try telling that to gamers or office workers who need to be available from 9 to 5.
So, what happens if you are chained to your chair because of your profession or passion?
Well, Steelcase offer a solution with their Leap office chair which also works great for dedicated gamers.
The Steelcase Chair Review
If there was a chair to spend 10 years of your life in, it would be the Steelcase Leap or it’s a fancier cousin, the Steelcase Gesture (for the gamer who needs to take it to the limit, every time, all the time).
Fueled to compete with the likes of Herman Miller’s Aeron, Steelcase designed the Leap to be an end-all solution to finding the right gamer chair for all your seating needs.
The Leap is designed with movement in mind, owing to its name.
It uses Steelcase’s patented Liveback technology, providing support for a mobile spine. The dynamic support system adjusts ergonomically to the contours of your back and eases the pressure. The arms of the Leap chair follow your movements, perfect for individuals who are constantly shifting and changing positions as they work and play. You’ll enjoy the comfort of this office x gaming chair, as well as its chic, space-age modern look.
Features include:
- Black Fabric Chair
- Full Back
- Adjustable Armrests
- Hard Casters
- Tilt Lock
- Tilt Tension
The base chair is rather expensive; if you decide to add some premium features to it you'll be looking at a further +40% or so on the price.
For some, the extreme quality delivered makes the Steelcase Leap gaming chair worth the price tag. As you would expect, the high-end state-of-the-art features are plentiful and impressive; from shifting itself to suit your posture to a revolutionary recline system, the Steelcase Leap possesses fine qualities that back up the hype.
One of the many reasons that professionals lean toward the Steelcase Leap gaming chair is the noticeable improvement in your posture that occurs without intruding upon your hard-set habits.
If your gaming or workstation is in a high-traffic area of your house, office or even bedroom with all your chums coming over to represent, you might look to make a design statement. The Steelcase gamer chair is the one that demands you notice it, and the range of color options let you make it fit - or stand out in - your space.
The warranty
Quick Overview: The pros and cons
- Adjustability: The Leap offers the usual adjustment options and more, the most interesting of which are the moveable lumbar supports. The recline hinge operates between 96 and 120 degrees, which, by itself, isn’t very useful for lounging, but do keep in mind that the bottom of the seat moves forward as well, providing for a comfortable and sturdy lounge mode.
The armrests are 4D operational. A gas piston controls elevation and is triggered by the usual lever. - Comfort: The Leap gamer chair has built itself a formidable reputation as one of the most comfortable office chairs in existence, surpassing many of the classical options in terms of sales and critical acclaim. This chair fits itself to your body, and a little fine-tuning from your end can create the perfect example of what comfort is.
This product was designed to allow a user to easily withstand days of work without experiencing the discomfort and fatigue that is usually associated with it. - Build: The Leap is the frame of itself; nothing is hidden. You can observe the beauty of the mechanisms shifting around when you adjust them, and the skeletal design is intriguing to say the least and commands attention rather easily.
The frame is built out of a lightweight and strong blend of aluminum and plastic, with a base that comes in either plastic or aluminum. The base is rated to withstand up to 400 lbs of force and still operate efficiently, and all parts carry a 12-year warranty from Steelcase. - Features: Featuring the patented “Live Back” system, the Leap is designed to flex and mimic the movement and support of a human spine and changes its support profile to match your posture while you move.
The Leap also features the “Natural Glide” system, which allows you to comfortably recline while keeping your head fixed towards your screen; it does this by simultaneously moving both the backrest and the seat at the same time. This also gives you the ability to control the tension or resistance in the backrest. - Accessories: The Steelcase chair comes with a plethora of accessories; you can choose from leather, fabric, or mesh upholstery in a variety of different colors and finishes. You can choose to add a bar stool to the chair and even an optional headrest, if you go for the fabric upholstery. There is also a small choice between armrests and wheels, and you can also choose the material and finish of the frame.
- The only con of the Steelcase Leap chair is that the price tag might not appeal to most gamers or casual office workers.
- You need to be careful about the quality of refurbished gaming chairs. Always read the reviews to get an idea about the quality of the refurbishment.
Testing the Steelcase chair against its competitors
In tests with its price specific competitors, the Leap by Steelcase did really well.
We found users think this chair to be more comfortable than its competitors because it was more adjustable, allowing you to perfectly match the contours and curves of your back and spine.
It also seems to be well built and durable, even after years of testing. This chair is at a higher price range than other models, but it is hard to put a price on comfort, especially if you will be sitting at a desk for 40+ hours a week.
The Steelcase Leap finished well above its next closest competitor. We found the Leap to be more comfortable than the Herman Miller Embody. Herman Miller is a classic. It’s comfortable and durable, and the mesh back is a style icon.
However, it isn’t as adjustable as the Steelcase gaming chair, so it’s not as versatile for different tasks.
However, if you mainly want a chair that props you up ergonomically and is comfortable for long hours of typing at a desk, the Herman Miller Embody will suit you well too.
Like the Steelcase Leap, it’s an investment. With the options of height-adjustable arms and arm pads, it can go above a thousand. However, it also comes with a long warranty and lasts. Though we found both gaming chairs to be equally well built, the Embody takes quite a bit longer to unpack and assemble.
We analyzed this gaming chair with the four-way adjustable arms option, allowing you to adjust the height, width, and depth and swivel it. However, you can go with an armless or height-only adjusted version of this chair to save some cash, but it won’t be as comfortable.
The Steelcase Leap gaming chair offers excellent, highly adjustable lumbar support. You can adjust the height of the support, as well as adjust the firmness to perfectly match your preferences and the curvature of your spine.
The ergonomic chair has no reclining lever, instead offering a set of tilt limiters. You can choose from among five independent levels and freely move back and forth between an upright position and your selected reclined position. The backrest on this chair also goes up high, reaching the top of the shoulder for almost all of our testers.
The armrests are very flexible, allowing you to adjust the height of each one to reach a comfortable level, as well as move them in and out, forward and back. They also swivel to match the angle of your forearm. There is also plenty of padding for adequate support. This is one of the gaming chairs in the market that did not compromise the padding adequacy. The comfortability is extremely on point and will give you a completely pleasant sitting experience.
The seat on the Steelcase chair has more than enough padding to keep you sitting in comfort and allows you to adjust the height of the seat relative to the ground, which is fairly standard for these products. You can also move the seat pan forward and back to customize this chair to the length of your legs, which is not so common with other gaming chairs in its class.
The reclining tension knob is located under the seat on the right side and is easily accessible while sitting. This knob sets the amount of resistance given when you lean back and is very responsive, allowing you to easily set it to the level you want.
Finally, it is easy to adjust the Steelcase Leap to fit most, if not all desk sizes and keep you ergonomically righteous, given the multitude of different ways you can adjust it.
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