Branch

I did a ridiculous amount of research on desk chairs. Reading and watching reviews and "best" lists; reading and watching critiques of those same reviews and best lists, etc., etc. I was undecided on options ranging from $100 - $1,500 given the inconsistency of opinion. I did a non-scientific "gestalt" gut-check and concluded that the Branch Ergonomic "felt" like it had the best substantive impressions on the factors that mattered most to me: quality of materials and comfort. The number and range of adjustments was not important to me, as long as I could fix a setting that was comfortable. So, I ordered the chair and hoped for the best (the free 30-day returns made it a low risk, but the idea of disassembling and repacking the components still encouraged careful selection!).I was very impressed with the quality, weight, and finish of all the components. The assembly process was straightforward and the instructions were clear and helpful. (As an aside, they are intentionally humorously written by a fluent English speaker--another review noting the "For Use By One Person!" conveyed to me the sometimes unfortunate clumsy translation on some instructions, but that was not at all the case.) The trickiest part is attaching the seatback to the seat mechanism--it must be done upside down with the seatback toward the floor. A helper would make it easy, but for one person finding a support for both components at the appropriate height took some searching around the house (a bed turned out to be the right height). In all, it was about a 30 minute project, being careful.Once assembled, the chair is excellent. The seat is nicely cushioned, but not too soft. The back is supportive and breathes well. Although it is personal preference, the blue color is very nice (and was well represented on the site. The chair feels stable and sturdy. It is much better than the standard workstation chairs at my office (which I am sure were much more expensive!). My only slight disappointment is that the arms slide forward and backward quite easily--I unintentionally extend them when moving about forward and backward in the chair.Overall, I think this is an excellent chair and a super value!

At the early stages of the pandemic, I purchased a work from home office chair like just about everyone else. I bought a functional-but-not-too-expensive chair. I then ended up purchasing better wheels and a detachable lumbar support for that one. Despite the add-ons, it just was not comfortable for an 8-10 hour day. I have chronic back issues so I'm a little extra sensitive to these things. I'm also cheap so I sucked it up and kept using that chair for about 2 years until I finally decided I needed an upgrade.I had/have a Steelcase chair at work and that one was always comfortable so that was my initial thought. That thought was quickly extinguished after seeing the price of those chairs. I mean, it's cheaper then physical therapy, surgery, etc but c'mon. I just can't justify paying over 1 grand for a chair.This Branch chair was the most reasonable value and pretty close to the top of what I was willing to pay. It also got good reviews from respected publications, which it's hard to find a legit review thru all of the propaganda lists out there. I wasn't absolutely sure it would be an upgrade but I have been pleasantly surprised.Very easy to assemble. The instructions are crystal clear and there are online videos on the Branch website to walk you thru it. They clearly put a lot of effort into making this as easy to assemble as possible. To be honest, that wasn't overly important to me but it was a bonus. Worth noting, I purchased another set of the Lifelong rubber caster wheels because they are just awesome. I immediately installed those rather then the included wheels as I didn't want to mess with trying to get the original casters out after being installed.As for fit and function, it's very good. Not as good as my in-office chair that costs 3-4x more but it's just as good where it counts most. There is adjustability in the height, lean, thigh support, arms, lumbar, etc. The lumbar support is just OK. It does serve the purpose and I've been able to ditch my separate lumbar support cushion. It's not life changing but again, functions as needed. The thigh support, height and arms all appropriate for me -- I'm 6ft and a biscuit over 200 so judge accordingly. Based on adjustability range, I would imagine it would work for a pretty wide range of body types, maybe up to 6'4" and even 300lbs. Definitely would work for shorter/lighter folks.I've had this chair for a couple of months now and no complaints or regrets. It feels like it will last many years. Overall, quite happy with the purchase and would do it again. It's the right chair at a reasonable price point for me.