Strengths: Looks good. Is very comfortable on the butt/legs to sit in for extended periods. Easy set up (as it is not really configurable).
Weakness: Back does not lock into position and the seat does not move, so you cannot lock it tilted forward or backward. The only part of the chair that moves is the back and it moves too easily.
While the Humanscale Freedom chair IS comfortable, I personally do not think it's great for some users to be sitting in for long periods of time. It looks great, the seat is comfortable, and it offers good lower back support, but the fact that you cannot lock the backrest into place makes this chair very annoying.
In referring to this chair the company states, "movement...shouldn’t be constricted by locking mechanisms and manual controls". This sounds nice but after spending months sitting in this chair I disagree with their credo. At times you definitely DO want the ability to lock certain aspects of your chair in place. If I am sitting working at my PC I don't want the backrest of my chair reclining slowly. Sometimes this will happen while I am engrossed in work and I won't notice it until my neck begins to ache from keeping my head pushed forward while my back is reclined. Since buying this chair I have had a definite increase in upper back/neck pains and muscle spasms. I am fairly certain that the chair is the culprit and will be looking for a new one.
I disliked this one aspect of the chair when I was testing it and asked someone at Humanscale if there was an option available for the chair that would allow me to lock the back into place. The man I talked to seemed annoyed that I even brought this up and said that the whole purpose of this chair is to move with the user, not to lock them into a certain position. I said that sounded great but that I would just like the OPTION of being able to lock it at times as everyone is different. He stated that this chair was designed for everyone and that, no, it was not an option and that was that. I bought the chair anyway thinking that it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Small problems with furniture you spend a good deal of time in tend to magnify themselves over the long run, and I should have realized that. I place the blame on no one but myself for buying this chair, but I think other people should know that this chair is NOT for everyone.
96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
I'm a satisfied Freedom Chair owner who agrees with the thrust of landog's analysis but disagrees with his conclusion.
Yes, the chair's back cannot be locked in place; yes, that's an intentional part of the design; and to his credit landog acknowledges that he knew this in advance and bought the chair anyhow.
That he nonetheless identifies his chair as the "culprit" of his back problems is remarkable. We all have our somatic styles: ways of sitting, moving, remaining still, and so forth. Choose the chair that most suits your needs; there are fine task chairs out there that will lock you into place, if that's what you want. "Freedom" (the life characteristic, not the chair) asks a lot of human beings; it's not for everybody. Nor is this chair, as landog clearly points out.
I'm a writer who sits all day long, except for breaks to stretch and dance around a bit to this or that i-Tune selection (yes, I work at home). I can't say enough about my Freedom chair. I wouldn't say more, even if they paid me, which they haven't.
Finally: it's not good to sit anywhere for too long. Get up now and again, take a breath, reach for the ceiling, look side to side. Then get back to work in your chair - a Freedom chair, if you're willing to take responsibility for how you move. Cheers.
I have a question for langdog, or anyone who has used the chair. It sounds as though when have your full weight against the back of the chair, it keeps moving back in response, so that you are never fully supported until you go back as far as the chair can go. When I tried the Freedom Chair out in a store, it seemed fantastic, but I didn't put it to that kind of test.
This issue is a big concern because, a few years ago I bought the Herman Miller Mirra Chair, which is a close cousin of the Aeron. It seemed ideal in the store but after using it a while I realized that the way it tends to force the body to sit a certain position was giving me hip and back problems. I'm leery of buying yet another high concept chair that promises to do great things, but in fact is not good for the body.
I sell these chairs and also Aerons, Mirras, and Leaps, so I work with them and sit in them every day. How the chair works is that the tension adjusts based on the individual users weight. It gives you the perfect tension that holds you upright securely, but will move back with you and stop with you. In order to recline you have to push back on the chair, but you do not have to keep using force to stay back in any position. If you find the chair to be too loose or tight, call up Humanscale and they can come adjust the mechanism for you. I've found that after being on the floor for a year or more, the chairs do seem to loosen up a bit.
Humanscale Freedom Chair
Strengths: Looks good. Is very comfortable on the butt/legs to sit in for extended periods. Easy set up (as it is not really configurable).
Weakness: Back does not lock into position and the seat does not move, so you cannot lock it tilted forward or backward. The only part of the chair that moves is the back and it moves too easily.
While the Humanscale Freedom chair IS comfortable, I personally do not think it's great for some users to be sitting in for long periods of time. It looks great, the seat is comfortable, and it offers good lower back support, but the fact that you cannot lock the backrest into place makes this chair very annoying.
In referring to this chair the company states, "movement...shouldn’t be constricted by locking mechanisms and manual controls". This sounds nice but after spending months sitting in this chair I disagree with their credo. At times you definitely DO want the ability to lock certain aspects of your chair in place. If I am sitting working at my PC I don't want the backrest of my chair reclining slowly. Sometimes this will happen while I am engrossed in work and I won't notice it until my neck begins to ache from keeping my head pushed forward while my back is reclined. Since buying this chair I have had a definite increase in upper back/neck pains and muscle spasms. I am fairly certain that the chair is the culprit and will be looking for a new one.
I disliked this one aspect of the chair when I was testing it and asked someone at Humanscale if there was an option available for the chair that would allow me to lock the back into place. The man I talked to seemed annoyed that I even brought this up and said that the whole purpose of this chair is to move with the user, not to lock them into a certain position. I said that sounded great but that I would just like the OPTION of being able to lock it at times as everyone is different. He stated that this chair was designed for everyone and that, no, it was not an option and that was that. I bought the chair anyway thinking that it wouldn't be that big of a deal. Small problems with furniture you spend a good deal of time in tend to magnify themselves over the long run, and I should have realized that. I place the blame on no one but myself for buying this chair, but I think other people should know that this chair is NOT for everyone.
96% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?
Jan 29, 2006
I'm a satisfied Freedom Chair owner who agrees with the thrust of landog's analysis but disagrees with his conclusion.
Yes, the chair's back cannot be locked in place; yes, that's an intentional part of the design; and to his credit landog acknowledges that he knew this in advance and bought the chair anyhow.
That he nonetheless identifies his chair as the "culprit" of his back problems is remarkable. We all have our somatic styles: ways of sitting, moving, remaining still, and so forth. Choose the chair that most suits your needs; there are fine task chairs out there that will lock you into place, if that's what you want. "Freedom" (the life characteristic, not the chair) asks a lot of human beings; it's not for everybody. Nor is this chair, as landog clearly points out.
I'm a writer who sits all day long, except for breaks to stretch and dance around a bit to this or that i-Tune selection (yes, I work at home). I can't say enough about my Freedom chair. I wouldn't say more, even if they paid me, which they haven't.
Finally: it's not good to sit anywhere for too long. Get up now and again, take a breath, reach for the ceiling, look side to side. Then get back to work in your chair - a Freedom chair, if you're willing to take responsibility for how you move. Cheers.
Aug 5, 2006
I have a question for langdog, or anyone who has used the chair. It sounds as though when have your full weight against the back of the chair, it keeps moving back in response, so that you are never fully supported until you go back as far as the chair can go. When I tried the Freedom Chair out in a store, it seemed fantastic, but I didn't put it to that kind of test.
This issue is a big concern because, a few years ago I bought the Herman Miller Mirra Chair, which is a close cousin of the Aeron. It seemed ideal in the store but after using it a while I realized that the way it tends to force the body to sit a certain position was giving me hip and back problems. I'm leery of buying yet another high concept chair that promises to do great things, but in fact is not good for the body.
Aug 16, 2006
I sell these chairs and also Aerons, Mirras, and Leaps, so I work with them and sit in them every day. How the chair works is that the tension adjusts based on the individual users weight. It gives you the perfect tension that holds you upright securely, but will move back with you and stop with you. In order to recline you have to push back on the chair, but you do not have to keep using force to stay back in any position. If you find the chair to be too loose or tight, call up Humanscale and they can come adjust the mechanism for you. I've found that after being on the floor for a year or more, the chairs do seem to loosen up a bit.