Refurbished Steelcase Leap Review: Pros, Cons, and Comfort Issues

I’ve had my refurbished Steelcase Leap from BTOD.com for a couple of weeks now.

I ordered on a Sunday, and the chair arrived by Wednesday. That was great. The chair was in excellent condition, which was a relief.

Assembly took just minutes, but the chair kept sinking when I sat down. I tried to troubleshoot, but eventually, I emailed BTOD support. They responded early the next morning with a PDF and a YouTube link showing how to fix the problem.

Turns out, I needed to remove the seat and use an Allen wrench to adjust the gas cylinder. It wasn’t too hard, but finding a 12-inch metal rod to trigger the seat release wasn’t easy. Most people probably don’t have one lying around.

The chair is... decent. The adjustable armrests, recline, and lumbar support are great. I also like the flexible seat cushion and the range of adjustments.

But, after an hour or two, my tailbone gets uncomfortable. I start shifting around, trying to relieve the numbness. I’m 6'1" and 180 lbs, a medium frame, but with not much cushion. That might be part of the problem.

I’m not exactly disappointed, but I use an older Herman Miller Aeron at the office and never feel seat fatigue like this. Actually, maybe I am disappointed. I got a Craigslist alert for a remastered Aeron for $500. I’m seriously considering taking a loss on the Leap and getting the Aeron.