I've been using a Steelcase Leap at home for about 10 years. It's a great chair, but mine doesn't have head support and due to poor posture on my part, I've been getting some neck pain. So, I started researching alternatives and tried a number at the office furniture stores. I've read good things about the Ergo Human v1 and found it in the store. I'm not a big fan of mesh chairs. I tried the leather one and didn't like it, the head cushion in particular is too forward compared to the mesh one. I ended up preferring the mesh one. Looking online, I found that they had a v2 with 5 fixed recline positions and slightly smaller. This one is a little hard to find and quite a bit more expensive than the v1. While looking for the v2, I found the Elite. It's a cross between the v1 and the v2. It has 4 fixed recline positions, the same sizing as the v2 but a different mesh pattern. It's available only in black and mesh. The controls are more like the v1 than the v2.
I ordered it from the manufacturer, who's in Austin. I was hoping to get it quickly, being in Dallas, but it took a little more than a week to receive it. And it was shipped from California. The packaging though adequate was not impressive and nowhere as well-designed as the chair. Installation wasn't too bad, took about 45 minutes by hand and using the included allen key.
The chair bottom is a little stiff, my behind is sore at the end of an 8 hour day even with hourly breaks. The lumbar support though "adjustable" goes only up and down but not high enough, and I'm only 5'9". Depth adjustment and more height would have been very useful. I've ended up adding a small inflatable cushion to give me the lumbar support I need. This is a real pity, it makes a very nice looking chair tacky.
The head support was one of the main reasons I got this chair. The good: it reminds me to keep my head against it and not slouch or lean forward like I tend to. But, it's adjustability is also very limited, it moves up and down and tilts up and down, but really needs depth adjustment.
The hand supports are very adjustable in all directions and quite good, but not as good as the Steelcase leap. They are also a little looser than I'd like and they move with the slightest touch.
The recline tension adjustment wheel has a pull out lever which seems good in theory, but when you spin it it tends to bend inward making it somewhat cumbersome.
In conclusion, the chair is a mixed bag, but I'll probably keep it, as I can't find anything better.
