Steelcase Gesture Office Desk Chair with Headrest Plus Lumbar Support Cogent Connect Wasabi 5S23 Fabric Standard Black Frame

I knew I wanted a nice office chair for WFH during the pandemic, and my search eventually led me here. I'm going to include all the information I wish I could have found when I was doing my research haha.First, the other chairs I was considering were the Steelcase Leap V2, the Herman-Miller Aeron, and the Herman-Miller Embody. I was able to try all three in-person locally, but there were no Gestures for me to test drive. I took a bit of a gamble on this chair buying it blind (...and truth be told, was planning on returning it if I did not like it better than the other three), but it paid off! I did not like the mesh material of the Aeron at all, and the Embody was waaaay too expensive compared to the Gesture (and was, at best, only just as good, IMO). The Leap V2 was also very, very good, and a cheaper alternative to the Gesture... but I personally preferred the Gesture, which fit my back better.I'm 6'5" and was specifically looking for a chair that would work for tall guys. I have no problems -- with the right adjustments, it fits my back perfectly and my head rests right on the headrest. I'm also really glad I was able to get the High Height Range option.Definitely glad I got the lumbar support. Again, my back was a huge concern, and this was a key feature for me.Color-wise, I could not find any photos of the Blueprint fabric. I don't think the photos in the product description are at all representative of the real-life color, so I've included some photos of my chair to give some reference. Again, I gambled on the color, googling for Cogent Connect fabrics and trying to judge images of the Blueprint color from them. Fortunately, I really like it -- it looks very good in-person, more subtle than the other blue shades you often see in Gesture advertising material.The fabric texture is different than I was expecting... I was hoping for something more meshy/soft. Cogent Connect reminds me of a fabric I'd find in a car seat or something, and retains heat just a touch more than I thought it would. But, I wouldn't say it's bad at all, just different from my expectations.Overall, I really love this chair and am glad I went with my gut and tried it, as opposed to settling for a used Leap V2 or something. Buying it new also meant I could get all the key features I wanted (lumbar support, height, etc.), and not settle for whatever happened to arrive at the second-hand store. I work a lot on my computer and see this as a worthwhile investment that I will enjoy every day I sit down for work for the next ten years. I've already noticed a marked improvement in my back and butt compared to the previous $200 chair I bought from Office Depot a few years back -- I wish I could have afforded something like this from the get-go.So, yes, great chair, and great investment! If you can afford it, go for it! If you can't, the Leap V2 would make for an acceptable alternative.

Let me start by saying that I spent ages researching chairs before I finally bought the Steelcase Gesture. I was originally planning to get a Herman Miller Aeron Remastered, but after seeing several video reviews of both chairs, decided my memory of the Aeron was probably flawed and biased. With that, I added other brands to the list of candidates. Steelcase, of course, was a top contender; even with the hefty price tags.When it came down to it, I chose the Gesture for its “configurability,” if you will. I also required a decent headrest and hard floor casters—two things the Gesture has as options.I spend the majority of my day “tasking,” but I also have moments of pondering and waiting. In these various states, I will sit different ways. With “normal” chairs, there’s just a bit too much fidgeting to get comfortable. The Gesture is designed for people to sit in it multiple ways and “adjust” its support accordingly.Now, I can’t say that it does that exactly, but I will say this chair causes me very few, if any, aches after a long day. My previous daily-driver was a quite-used Herman Miller Mirra. It would leave me sore in so many ways. I can, however, say that much less fidgeting is needed in my seating changes. Some require a tweak of the chair’s controls (usually the seat pan in and out or the back resistance a tad tighter/looser) may be needed, but after I’m good to go.That brings me to the controls themselves. The Gesture is known to have one of, if not _the_ best headrest in the performance office chair category. I tend to agree. I’ve had one other chair with a similar headrest and it, too, was great. The seat pan adjustment is natural, though I unexpectedly feel a rotation at the first effort; it’s odd at first, but you get used to it.The tilt resistance is a bit on the touchy side for me. There’s a very small range of “good” for me. I’d really like it to have a more granular feel to its adjustments. It’s also a bit annoying in that you can’t adjust it while reclined in the slightest. You literally have to make absolutely certain that the back it fully upright.And the last control, the tilt lock… I don’t use. Also had one on the “great headrest chair” and never used it there either. However, having messed with it, I could see locking the back upright in some situations… maybe a bad night’s sleep? But otherwise, I wish that thing did something else.And for the final point of my needs: hard floor wheels. Well… I ordered it with hard floor casters, but it came with standard. Since I’d never seen either wheel, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. However, I must say, Steelcase’s carpet casters are total crap on hard floors. It’s like a subtle fingernails-down-the-blackboard feeling. After a few days, I contacted the seller and eventually Steelcase shipped replacement hard floor casters. Upon swapping them, it was night and day. The glide was smooth and “effortless” in as much as an office chair can be. At this point, I believe I’ve had the hard floor casters on longest…So after 30+ days of ownership, I’m pretty satisfied. I gave the chair 5 stars in value for money, as I fully expect to get 12+ years out of it (the warranty is 12 years!) and pro-rating the cost across even 10 years is pennies-per-day _well_ spent. It’s getting 4 stars overall because it’s not the immediately-comfortable chair you might expect at $1k+, but it makes up for that in its ability to support you in many different positions.UPDATE 6/2023:I've had my Gesture for around 9 months now. All of the above is still true. There is one minor thing to add: I noticed that the arms of the chair are not set quite symmetrical. It's the slightest difference and you can only see it when the arms are at their extremes. I'm not sure if this is from the manufacturer or shipping, but I know I didn't cause it. It was not enough to complain about at the time of purchase, but I may contact Steelcase directly in the future to see if this is something that can be adjusted.Outside of that, there's no noticeable wear on the chair aside from dust/dirt on the wheels. No "new" creaks or groans, and the controls are all still in "new" condition.UPDATE 8/2024:We're coming up on two full years of ownership. Again, previous comments stand. The chair has excellent build quality (outside of the aforementioned thing with the alignment of the arms). All of the functions still work 100%, the chair has only one "squeak" that really doesn't bother me (shifting weight side-to-side), and it's otherwise "like new" whereas any other chair at 2 years old would be ailing significantly.I'll also mention at this point, I've now moved it across the country. I kept the original shipping box, so that's how it was packed. I did not trust it to a mover, but rather put it in a trailer... I did miss covering one spot on the very top of the headrest with some plastic, so the cardboard filler-box rubbed on it the whole way and created a small hole in the outer fabric; nothing a hoodie draped over can't fix! Again, nothing major and totally my fault. Also, given the new locale, I have a new floor, but it's that really hard, no-pad carpet, so I've left the hard floor wheels on the chair and they're working well.Let's see how the next two years goes!