How comfortable are the Humanscale Freedom and Steelcase Please?

Hades · 20 Jun 2019 at 13:16

I'm looking for a refurbished Humanscale Freedom or Steelcase Leap in leather. For those who have them what is the seat padding like? Is it very thin or does it offer a lot of cushioning? Thanks.

southernorth · 20 Jun 2019 at 23:02

Hades said:
I'm looking for a refurbished Humanscale Freedom or Steelcase Leap in leather. For those who have them what is the seat padding like? Is it very thin or does it offer a lot of cushioning? Thanks.

I've used a Freedom a lot, and the foam is quite thick and was still 'springy' on my chair, but that depends on age. How old were the Freedom chairs you were looking at?

The below video and blog post could be useful in deciding (very in-depth)

https://blog.szynalski.com/2017/09/review-steelcase-please/

Hades · 20 Jun 2019 at 23:28

Thanks. Hard to tell age as they are online resellers.

southernorth · 20 Jun 2019 at 23:47

Hades said:
Thanks. Hard to tell age as they are online resellers.

The Freedom has a sticker on underside of seat which says manufacture date - could ask the seller. The foam often becomes too soft on older, well used, chairs.

Hades · 21 Jun 2019 at 00:02

southernorth said:
The Freedom has a sticker on underside of seat which says manufacture date - could ask the seller. The foam often becomes too soft on older, well used, chairs.

Thanks

Squid Vicious · 26 Jun 2019 at 07:27

@Hades I have a refurbed freedom, a year and half old now and has had plenty of use in that time. I've not had any issues with cushioning and find it comfortable for working on for normal 'office day' durations.

I see you're in London - pop into John Lewis on Oxford st - they stock the freedom on the top floor so you can give it a try.

Hades · 26 Jun 2019 at 08:01

Thanks

Hades · 11 Jul 2019 at 17:02

I took a risk on a relatively cheap Humanscale Freedom. I have to say it's a really lovely chair. It had been recently recovered and has a very comfortable soft black faux suede material. It also has what appears to be optional chrome metalwork. So it looks fantastic (a few marks here and there).

However there is a problem with the arms. I do understand that the arms are a common issue where they crack. This one doesn't have any cracks but the arms don't lock into position very well. They adjust fine but if you put any weight on the arms then they collapse back down. I assume the ratchet/locking mechanism has worn over the years. The rest of the chair is very nice indeed so I'd like to keep it if possible. Looking online the ratchet/locking mechanism is actually quite simple to get to and the various parts seem cheap according to an American price list. So I've contacted Humanscale Europe with a list of the parts from the repair manual. If they are cheap enough then I'll do a full refurbishment of the mechanism and post a guide up here.

Some useful links:

http://www.ergonomicofficedesigns.com/content/pdf/humanscale-parts-and-repair-manual.pdf

https://humanscale.com/UserFiles/file/Disassembly_FreedomChair_REV-00.pdf

james.miller · 11 Jul 2019 at 18:14

I have a leap, not leather though. Very supportive and very comfortable. You wouldnt go far wrong with either of them

Temujin · 11 Jul 2019 at 21:08

Hades said:
I took a risk on a relatively cheap Humanscale Freedom. I have to say it's a really lovely chair. It had been recently recovered and has a very comfortable soft black faux suede material. It also has what appears to be optional chrome metalwork. So it looks fantastic (a few marks here and there).

Any pics of the chair? And also how you've found it overall. Been looking at them for a while on a refurb site and i like the idea of having a headrest over the herman miller refurbed options!

Hades · 11 Jul 2019 at 21:44

akaFonzie said:
Any pics of the chair? And also how you've found it overall. Been looking at them for a while on a refurb site and i like the idea of having a headrest over the herman miller refurbed options!

I haven't used it yet as I want to get the arms fixed first, or try to return it if that is not feasible. I will get some pics tomorrow or at the weekend as I'm not at home right now.

First impressions are that it's really a lovely chair. I use a Herman Miller Aeron at work and prefer the Humanscale Freedom... so far. I am 5ft 8in and it fits me perfectly. Apparently the designer says they are aimed at most sized people but don't work so well if very small or very large. Like you, no headrest is a deal breaker for me at home and this feels very comfortable. It feels much nicer quality than the cheap office chair I have been using at home so far. I can see that the automatically adjusting headrest when reclining is going to be great for my use.

It also looks good so when sat in a nice environment it will add to it rather than look too bulky.

Temujin · 12 Jul 2019 at 08:20

Hades said:
I haven't used it yet as I want to get the arms fixed first, or try to return it if that is not feasible. I will get some pics tomorrow or at the weekend as I'm not at home right now.

First impressions are that it's really a lovely chair. I use a Herman Miller Aeron at work and prefer the Humanscale Freedom... so far. I am 5ft 8in and it fits me perfectly. Apparently the designer says they are aimed at most sized people but don't work so well if very small or very large. Like you, no headrest is a deal breaker for me at home and this feels very comfortable. It feels much nicer quality than the cheap office chair I have been using at home so far. I can see that the automatically adjusting headrest when reclining is going to be great for my use.

It also looks good so when sat in a nice environment it will add to it rather than look too bulky.

Ah fair enough, the arms do seem to be the weak point, looking at reviews. Hopefully they'll sort something out for you! What sorta price did you end up paying, ballpark?

southernorth · 12 Jul 2019 at 18:53

How are you finding the weigh sensitive recline? If you want a stiffer motion, you can tighten with allen key at back underside of chair.

Hades · 14 Jul 2019 at 20:42

Sorry no pics as haven't had time. But I did just finish stripping the chair down to find out what is wrong with the arms. I found the problem(s). There is a square toothed block on each side. It fits into a curved toothed bar. When you lift the front of the arms it pulls the block away from the bar to allow you to move them. When you release the arms the block is pushed back into the bar by a spring. That is what stops the arms moving.

On mine one of the blocks had sheered off the holding mechanism so it is only being supported by one side. Secondly the toothed bars on each side had come away from their own holding screw. Thirdly the teeth on the block and bars looks a little worn.

I reseated the bars and put the chair back together. It works a little better now but it's still not right. I will see whether Humanscale can supply replacement parts.

I am afraid I am going to say that I can't recommend this chair. It looks to me like most of them will suffer this issue eventually.

southernorth said:
How are you finding the weigh sensitive recline? If you want a stiffer motion, you can tighten with allen key at back underside of chair.

Thanks. I love the recline. It's the best part of the chair.

Temujin · 15 Jul 2019 at 11:15

Hades said:
I am afraid I am going to say that I can't recommend this chair. It looks to me like most of them will suffer this issue eventually.

Is this really your only gripe though? If so then at refurb prices it's probably still a worthwhile investment. I'm still leaning toward one of these over a noblechairs or similar!

Hades · 15 Jul 2019 at 13:31

akaFonzie said:
Is this really your only gripe though? If so then at refurb prices it's probably still a worthwhile investment. I'm still leaning toward one of these over a noblechairs or similar!

Yes my only gripe so far. But having taken it apart inside the frame and looking at the way the arms work, all of a persons weight on the arms will lean on a few small metal pieces (that weight will be multiplied by the pivotal force on the arm mechanism). I am not an engineer but to me it looks a poor design choice.

If Humanscale can supply the parts for a reasonable cost then it's worth a chance. If they can't then it's a matter of when, not if, the arms will fail. Let's see what they come back to me with.

But it does look fantastic and the recline is great.

Pyr0m@nI@]{ · 15 Jul 2019 at 14:09

I've got a Please and a Leap 2 with headrest at home and a Leap 2 and a HS Freedom in the office (all from 2ndhnd)
The Leap beats the Please for comfort and support, but the Humanscale Freedom has the best headrest hands down, the back is really supportive and the arms are softer.
When it comes to replace either of the chairs at home, I'll probably get a Freedom.

Squid Vicious · 15 Jul 2019 at 18:57

A year and half into my refurbed freedom and no issues to date.

Recline works well with no adjustments.

Still very happy with the purchase.

southernorth · 15 Jul 2019 at 19:26

Pyr0m@nI@]{ said:
I've got a Please and a Leap 2 with headrest at home and a Leap 2 and a HS Freedom in the office (all from 2ndhnd)
The Leap beats the Please for comfort and support, but the Humanscale Freedom has the best headrest hands down, the back is really supportive and the arms are softer.
When it comes to replace either of the chairs at home, I'll probably get a Freedom.

Do you think the backrest would be too low to be properly supportive of upper back/shoulders if the headrest wasn't there?

Pyr0m@nI@]{ · 15 Jul 2019 at 20:53

southernorth said:
Do you think the backrest would be too low to be properly supportive of upper back/shoulders if the headrest wasn't there?

The back of the freedom is supportive, but the recline would be pretty crap without the headrest. As you recline, the headrest moves forward keeping your head in the ideal position. Sounds a bit weird and does take a little getting used to, but I think it's great.
If you've got the chance to try one out first, I would.