Steelcase - Series 1 Chair with Seagull Frame - Cobalt

Full disclosure: I was given this chair to review. I am not the type of person who would spend over $200 for an office desk chair, let alone over $500 so that's worth keeping in mind as you read the rest. I'll start with the good: it's comfortable. In fact, it becomes more evident just how comfortable it is the longer you sit in it. I have another, recently made office chair that has soft, squishy faux-leather and at first touch it's easy to think it's the softer of the two chairs. But sitting in each makes the differences obvious and obvious in favor of the Steelcase. The seat cushion is fine; I think the real difference is in the chair back. Whatever hinge mechanism they're using back there allows for getting the perfect amount of tension and flexibility to really allow me to sit at a comfortable position for hours on end. The same is true of the height adjustment, lumbar support, and arms. My desk sits very low and I still have no problem finding solutions within the range of the chair's various adjustments to put myself in a working position. Also, this chair was incredibly easy to assemble. No tools required. No 2nd set of hands needed. Everything snaps into place. But here's the thing: you could probably say the same things for a large swath of chairs that are in some cases significantly less expensive than the Steelcase. So what are you really paying for? Design and materials, right? This is where this chair fails to warrant the price tag, in my opinion. The thing just looks cheap. Too much white plastic. I know design is subjective, but really - look at it. Does it stand out from the pack in any significant way? If not, then why does it cost so much? And for a chair that's $500 you'd at least expect a high level of polish. Unfortunately, my chair came scuffed right out of the box. (See the photo.) Again, maybe using so much white plastic isn't the best idea for long - or even - short term use from something you might sit in literally every day. Long story short, were I the type of person to pay this much for a chair I likely would have returned it. But it is comfortable. That feels like the least you can ask for at this price, the bare minimum. I expected much more than that.

Steelcase is one of, if not the largest, office furniture suppliers in the U.S. Rightfully so. Their products are robustly made and come in a nearly endless variety of styles, colors, configurations. One visit to the Steelcase website and one will wonder how many different variations of seating and furniture are available. If you want it, Steelcase most likely makes it and, in a color, you can find to blend into any décor. While Steelcase is a well-known, go-to brand in the business workplace, they have only recently attempted to enter the consumer market. The Steelcase Series 1 is no exception to the company’s well-made and comfortable office chairs. The Series 1 is constructed of high-quality plastics and materials that not only appear to be long-lasting but are easy to clean and resist stains and dirt. The Series 1 includes all the conveniences of any modern office chair, including height adjustment, swivel, etc. as well as the ability to lock those features out. The arms are height adjustable to fit nearly anyone’s torso comfortably, as well as have an integrated swivel on the armrest. While I never thought about a swiveling armrest, now that I’ve seen it, I don’t understand why others don’t follow Steelcase’s lead. A simple design element that pays huge dividends. The Series 1 is comfortable and quite firm. Much firmer than any other office chairs I’ve had come through my house. The seat padding is very firm, but not so much so that it becomes tiring. One thing that is much better on the Steelcase than many office chairs, is the excellent back support. There are a total of 9 supports that stretch horizontally across the chair’s back, lending to excellent rigidity and support. The material stretching across the back is fully ventilated to prevent that nasty sweaty back scenario so common in cheap office furniture. NEGATIVES There in lies my biggest, or should I say my spouse’s biggest gripe of the Series 1. It would be right at home in a business or office environment, but it feels woefully out of place in a home setting. Even with someone that uses a home office as their business or a WFH location, the Series 1 just doesn’t have that appeal like a nice leather office chair normally would. Quite honestly, the Series 1 looks like something your employer would have given you for your WFH during COVID or something you snagged from a conference room on your way out. CONCLUSIONS I can’t find any faults in the Series 1’s build quality or construction. Materials appear to be very durable and are easy to clean and care for. The back supports are top notch, and the seat cushion remains cool and firm throughout a full day of work. The Steelcase Series 1 would be a great addition to any business needing a long lasting, durable office chair for meetings or employees. But, as an office chair for home, I can’t see it being a popular choice. It just looks out of place in the house and does not blend into most decors.

I've been using the same office chair at my home desk for at least 5 years. It's one of those basic chairs that are a dime a dozen at your local office supply store. It gets the job done but feels stiff and uncomfortable after a few hours. When I saw this Steelcase Series 1 chair available at Best Buy, I knew it was time to upgrade. I had heard of Steelcase chairs from co-workers and friends but wasn't convinced they were *that* much better than my cheap office store chair. Was I ever wrong. The Series 1 chair is extremely comfortable, versatile, and easy to assemble. But it's not without it's quirks and drawbacks. === PROS === - Assembly is incredibly easy. No tools are required (not even a Hex key/Allen wrench). Just place the top half on the base and then slide the seat into place until it clicks. And that's about it. - The chair's design is sleek and modern but not over-the-top. It is a simple look with clean lines that should fit in to any office (at home or in an office building). The white "Seagull" color of the frame stands out a bit in my neutral-colored apartment but I still like the contrast with the darker "Night Owl" color of the fabric. - All of the standard adjustments like armrest height and seat high are available, and then some. You can adjust the lumbar support bar on the backrest as well as the depth of the seat. The backrest itself tilts back to about a 45-degree angle with two selectable levels of tension. Tilt and height adjustments are made using an easily accessible lever under the right side of the seat. - The mesh backrest is very breathable and supportive. It is does not feel stiff at all and seems to adjust well to various movements and positions of your back. - The seat cushion is among the most comfortable I've ever sat on. It is very well padded without feeling too soft or like I'm about to sink into it. - On my vinyl flooring, the casters on the Series 1 are incredibly quiet. The chair glides very easily over my floor when I need it to, but stays in place when needed while I'm at my desk. === CONS === - There wasn't much padding in the shipping box. All of the chair's components were sort of just thrown in the box and likely moved around a bit in shipping. As such, on of the legs on my chair arrived with a fairly large black scuff. Luckily it cleaned off with a bit of elbow grease. - The backrest can be locked in place while it is fully upright, but you cannot lock it in place when it is tilted back. I don't like to sit fully upright for very long, so it will take some time to get used to the moving backrest. I find that the "boosted" setting on the dial provides a good amount of resistance on the backrest without too much movement while tilting back. - The armrests are great, but they can be a bit annoying. They swivel left and right and are supposd to move with your arms, but I would prefer to just lock them in place so they always point directly forward. Unfortunately, you can't do that, and after a few hours, my elbows have usually bumped them enough times that they have both shifted in various directions. === OVERALL === Minor drawbacks aside, this is the best desk/office chair I have ever owned. Compared to my old, cheap office store chair, the Steelcase Series 1 is barely noticeable after hours of use -- and that's how it should be. It seems to contour to your body and provides support in all of the right places. Anyone can assemble this chair in less than 5 minutes and the design is modern and sleek. I'm confident it will serve me well for years to come.

Right off the bat, This Steelcase Series 1 Chair with Seagull Frame is absolutely the most comfortable chair I have ever sat on. It is extremely high quality and sleek design. I have two desk setups at my home; one is a high-end gaming chair, and the second is a basic chair for the office desk. My gaming chair is costly and considered one of the highest-ranked brands. However, after using this Steelcase chair, I have to admit that its comfort is unmatchable. The chair packaging is noticeably compact, and unboxing was super easy. Assembly is quick as the chair is almost assembled out of the box. Design: this ergonomic chair has a contemporary design and is well constructed. I can feel the high-quality materials and how it was built to withstand. The chair is fully adjustable, including the height, armrest, recline tension, and lumbar support. Also, the casters are smooth BUT designed for hard floors. I have been sitting on it for two days all day long working from home, and I admit that the chair is very durable and comfortable that I can't compare it with any other chairs I have used before and still use now. Expertly designed and marvelously built to provide the key and most needed features in any chair, which are comfort and durability. The back mesh is neat and comfortable and does cause any sweat as the air runs through freely. This chair pleased me and gave me comfort throughout my workday.

Throughout the pandemic I found myself working from home and after two years I decided that my weekend special office supply store chair was no longer cutting it. I found my posture to be slowly waning and I wanted something that I could comfortably work in all day long. In my previous office days our company had Steelcase chairs and one thing I could always appreciate was the excellent lumbar support and build quality that the brand offered. When I saw that Best Buy was offering a Steelcase chair in a fun white color (Seagull) I decided to take the leap! The order was shipped directly to my house and at first I was intimidated by the size of the box. It was large and I expected it to be heavy. It was not. Pleasant surprise #1. When I opened the box I expected a long complicated assembly process with lots of tiny screws and Allan wrenches in my future. Instead I found 4 parts carefully wrapped in plastic that simply popped together. I honestly don't think this could have been any easier to put together. No screws, no Allen wrenches. Easy. Loved it! The controls for height and back movement are about as easy as anything I've ever used. My previous office char had three levers to pull and I constantly found myself pushing the wrong one and adjusting the the tilt when I wanted to adjust the height. With this chair the single flapper adjusts the height and handles my size with ease and feels sturdy. A selection knob then allows you to either lock the back or provide a supported recline. It's all very intuitive. The lumbar bar was easy enough to adjust up and down, though I'll admit it was the only feature that didn't feel premium. The bar kind of slid up and down in a clunky way and you almost have to get out of the chair once it feels like it's in the right position and it feels straight. An under appreciated feature of the chair has to be the arms. triggers on the side allow the arm height to be customized and the arm pads themselves rotate in an almost 360 degree manner. I am 6'3" 270 and I don't like to feel squeezed into my office chair. By adjusting the arms to proper height and floating the arm pads to maximum width I feel like I have plenty of space. In summary I am very pleased with this chair so far. My posture has never been better and I can feel the difference in my neck and lower back at the end of a long day. Bravo Steelcase! Side note - the white Seagull frame is pretty baller. I'd love to be able to order replacement seats with a fun color when I get tired of the gray. I'm sure I could contact their parts department, but it might be worth offering since it's so easy to install the seats!