Humanscale Freedom Task Chair - Headrest, Advanced Gel Arms, Graphite Frame

by Humanscale

Product Details

• Item Weight: 50 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 58 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B000HBM6YU
• Item model number: Freedom Chair HeadRest
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #100,037 in Office Products (See Top 100 in Office Products)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 1, 2006

Product Description

The Freedom chair is designed to give the maximum ergonomic benefit to the sitter with a minimum number of manually-adjusted controls. Once the chair is fitted, no further adjustment is required. The idea is that movement, which is essential for a healthy body, should not be constricted by locking mechanisms and manual controls. In other words, sitting comfortably is not something you should have to think about.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Freedom Chair with Headrest and Gel Armrests, November 8, 2007

By 

Victor H. Agresti "remodeling-guy" (Gaithersburg, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Freedom Task Chair

I've been using one of these chairs in my home office since August 2005. I typically use it up to a few hours a day, but rarely longer.

Pros:

- Most top-of-the-line executive chairs don't fit me, as I'm 6/4 and 270 pounds. For example, the largest sized Herman Miller chair is too small. The Freedom Chair, after vertically adjusting the back and raising the headrest all the way, easily accommodates my height and bulk.

- The headrest is high enough for a tall person, which is not the case with most office chairs.

- The back rest curves inward at my lower-back, providing good support. My back never hurts after sitting for hours. (That doesn't mean the built-in lumbar support will fit YOUR back.)

- I find it comfortable, even though the seat is quite firm.

- When you lean back at a computer terminal, you're head is still facing forward, not upward as in most executive chairs, because the chair is designed to always keep the headrest vertical.

- The armrest supports are attached at the very back of the chair, and therefore, they never bind your legs from the side. You could even sit sideways in the chair without hitting those supports. Or, assuming you were able to and so inclined, you could spread your legs apart 180 degrees while seated all they way back in this chair. For big or tall people, or anyone that spreads their legs when sitting, this is a very nice design feature. Some executive chair armrest brackets make the seat seem far narrower than it is, because they prevent your legs from spreading even a little.

- I got one with the hardwood floor rollers, and it glides around with ease on our oak floors.

- The whole chair, even the bottom, looks expensive and well made. An ultra modern design.

- I like the gel arm-rests, even though they wobble.

- Nothing has broken or needed repair on either chair (my wife has one without the head rest, and she loves it).

Cons:

- The seat stays level as you lean the chair back, but your butt slides forward just a bit. Lean back a few times and your butt will be so far forward, you have to lift up to move your tail backward on the chair seat. It's annoying, but not serious.

- The seat, while quite acceptable for several hours at a stretch, feels harder and less comfortable if used all day. If you need a chair to sit in all day, every day, this may not be it.

- The headrest easily adjusts up/down over several inches, but it won't stay put. Over the day, as you put the weight of your head on it, it gradually slides down. There's no way to lock it in place, but it only takes a second to pull it up, while still seated.

- It costs 1/3 more than I paid only two years ago; so from my perspective, it's [now] a very expensive chair.

Summary:

In my opinion, never buy this type of chair without first trying it in person, to verify fit and comfort for YOU. One place to look for this model is a bed & back type store.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After 8 years constant use, it's the best, February 23, 2009

By 

Ken Jacobsen (Tempe, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Humanscale Freedom Task Chair - Headrest, Advanced Gel Arms, Graphite Frame (Office Product)

I've used this chair, with the headrest (which it shouldn't be purchased without) constantly for almost 8 years now and it's absolutely the best. Plus Humanscale is a great company -one of the arms recently broke and the company paid to have it replaced, after 8 years!! I didn't have to beg or cojole, either.

The previous reviewer feels the cushioning should be thicker but the cushioning isn't as thick as some others for a very good reason -so your butt doesn't get locked in deep cushioning, which may seem more comfortable in the short run but is really detrimental after a few hours work in my experience (and as humanscale explains on its website). The best thing is the way the headrest works -if I'm in need of a few minutes break, leaning back brings the headrest into position and wow, is it nice. And it's perfectly balanced even all the way back. I've never had a problem personally with my butt sliding forward at all when leaning back, and I'm 6'5".

As for the cost, I paid $1200 in 2001 and would gladly pay that today, it's been worth every penny.

By the way, I work at home and out of three big overstuffed armchairs and two sofas, this is the only chair I can sit in comfortably for hours on end.


Check out Humanscale's own website [..]

1.0 out of 5 stars Update on what to expect if you pay so much for this chair, November 28, 2011

By 

Thomaspriggs - See all my reviews

This review is from: Humanscale Freedom Task Chair - Headrest, Advanced Gel Arms, Graphite Frame (Office Product)

Love this chair, but not the armrests. They were poorly designed, will break over time and the company response is a slow replacement process of perhaps 20 days, and no effort to improve the chair.