Review on Steelcase Series 1 Work Office Chair Canary: Comfort and Style Combined by Heidi Jenkins

I work in an office where we have literally thousands of Steelcase Leap chairs. I've seen people abuse them by spilling coffee, green smoothies, and yogurt on them. I've seen them used as stepladders and in chair races. I've personally been using the same one for 4 years and I've *never* seen it break to the point where it was unusable or beyond repair. I also have an interior design degree specializing in commercial office design and have great respect for the Steelcase brand. That being said, I'm not willing to shell out $950 for a Leap.eek chair. While I think it was worth it, I wanted something less expensive for my home office. About 3 months ago I started having problems with my left hip. Like many people, I used a desk chair I bought at Office Depot. This was my third chair in 5 years and the seat was irritating my thigh. I knew I needed a good quality chair and I have found that my hip NEVER hurts when I use the Leap chair at work. I wanted to try Steelcase. After looking at several Steelcase options, I stumbled upon the Series 1 and thought it matched all my attributes - lower lumbar support, seat depth and height adjustment, and adjustable armrests. And most importantly, the price wasn't super ridiculous. I paid about $150 for a chair I bought from Office Depot - 3 chairs for a total of $450 - $430 for Series 1 didn't look bad. So I took a chance buying a $430 chair that had no reviews. :) It came fully assembled in a large box. It was well fastened and the chair was not damaged during transport. The chair is also very light so lifting it up when assembled was not difficult. It has a nice snug fit, is comfortable and has helped a lot with my hip pain. And while the lumbar support isn't as strong as I'd like, it does support it, and I really like the shape of the chair's backrest. It feels like it's hugging my back and the mesh is very breathable. The only downside I can give to this chair is that the armrests feel a little flimsy. I feel like I have to be careful how much pressure I put on my arms going up and down for fear they might loosen up over time. So far no problems. TLDR? I'm happy to give this a 4.5! I think that's ideal and very fair. I can't in good conscience give full 5 stars because of the armrests, but I think it's a great chair and worth the higher price. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants a good quality chair with a reputable name that will last for several years.