Humanscale Freedom chair review – changed your posture and back pain

The Humanscale Freedom chair, which is one of the most comfortable office chairs for long hours of sitting is designed in a way that the chair does not have many levers and knobs. So it’s free from them. You often have knobs and levers to adjust an office chair to suit your needs. The freedom chair adjusts itself.

This sounds quite liberating, right? Indeed. But let’s take a look at just how comfortable this liberating office chair is.

Almost no assembly is needed

This is one of the advantages of the Freedom chair. You almost do not need to do any setup or installation. There are just two things that you need to do. One, you have to put on the wheels. And two, connect the top part to the bottom part. Everything is already pre-assembled so it will only take 5 minutes and you’re good to go. 

As for the shipping, you’ll receive one bulky and hefty box. And unlike other brands, it did not come with styrofoam stuffing to protect the chair from dents and damages. Instead, it has layers of cardboard boxes. This is the brand’s effort in being more environmentally friendly. 

We did receive our chair free from damages. We reckon the brand sends your purchases only through FedX/UPS. So you’re sure that it is handled gently and has less risk of damage even without styrofoam. 

An intuitive self-adjusting chair

The Freedom chair is indeed one of its kind. And as we have mentioned above, it does not have many levers because it’s self-adjusting.

When you stretch back, the chair will move with you. It will change its angle to make you feel more supported. Well, one of our favorite features is the lumbar support and the pivoting back. 

Once you sit on the chair, you’ll notice that the lumbar support of the Freedom is quite pronounced. And when you move, it moves you. And whenever you change positions, the lower back support moves with you that’s why we felt supported throughout the day. 

But as much as we love the pronounced lumbar support of the Freedom chair, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Those who have a pretty slouched posture tend to find the Freedom chair too aggressive or they find that it pushes them too far forward. Some even compared it to active sitting. 

Thus, those who already have a good picture will find Freedom the most comfortable. Those who are not used to active seating will find it very comfortable. 

Another unique feature of the chair, which it’s more known for is the recline function. As you sit back on the chair it will automatically recline. And if you have a headrest outfitted with your Freedom chair, this can spell a lot of comforts. The recline function is very easy to use. You just sit and push your back against the chair. 

We absolutely love this. But we came across several complaints of other users saying that it is too stiff. Well, this chair can be. Some will find that they need to put more force when pressing their back against the chair. 

If you do find the backrest too stiff, there is a bit of solution to that. There is an Allen wrench that you can use to adjust the tension of the recline. So you can loosen it should you find it too stiff for your back. 

Few adjustable features but works well for some

Some of the adjustable knobs and levers are for the seat slide or the seat depth, the width and height of the arms, the headrest, and the backrest. 

It’s easy to adjust the seat pan of the chair, you just slide it. And take note that the basic Freedom chair lacks the headrest. But if you want to make the most out of this intuitive self-adjusting chair, we advise you to get the headrest. It is also easily adjustable and you also have the option to have the headrest in a full recline. 

These are a few of those office chairs with headrests that can do so. And another nice feature is that the headrest and backrest adjust separately. So there are more chances for you to find the most comfortable spot. This makes the chair very flexible. 

For the armrests, we opted to go for the more high-end Duron arms, you just have to shell out more moolah. But we wanted to see how comfortable the Freedom chair can get. and having the more adjustable Duron arms will make it more comfortable. The arms also separate from the backrest, so you can find a more suitable position for you. 

Though the adjustments are few, it allows you to fine-tune everything. Thus, they offer a variety of positions and options.  

Build and quality

This chair is very strong, durable, and robust. And it has a steeper price, so we are kinda hoping this chair will be more of metal, and so it is. It also has a combination of aluminum and metal and very few plastic parts. This makes the chair durable and flexible at the same time. That’s why this is pretty heavy too.

Speaking of plastic parts, this is perhaps the least desirable feature of the desk. One of the few plastic parts is the one that connects the arms of the back of the chair. A lot of users have complained that this can be the flimsiest part of the desk. 

Not just because it’s plastic, but maybe because of where it was used. More often, people put too much pressure on their arms when they are getting out of the chair. And this pressure can be too much on that plastic part. That’s why it can result in the arms breaking off eventually. So some opted to remove the arms instead. 

Lots of options 

Like the Steelcase and the Herman Miller chairs, the Freedom chair offers tons of customization. With the lack of knobs and levers, it makes up for the tons of choices in the frames, the arms, and the upholstery.

There are also several fabric options, they even have leather and a seat filled with aqua gel.

Overall

1. The Freedom chair is very durable, robust, and sturdy. Since it has a lot of metal parts, this can render the chair very strong. Though the only flimsy part we find is the plastic that connects the arms to the back. Other than that, this is one rock-solid chair.
2. It does offer tons of customizable options. But this is also the reason why the brand doesn’t accept returns. So this is one thing to consider if you want to buy this chair. But it does offer a generous warranty of 15 years.
3. This is not a chair for everybody. It’s either you love it or not. Even if it’s ultra-flexible and intuitive, some find the lumbar support and the recline function too stiff. So those who are not used to active sitting may find the Freedom chair too aggressive and uncomfortable. 
4. Even with a good ergonomic chair, some people are not able to find a comfortable spot. Not everyone knows how to do the proper adjustments. But with the Freedom chair, you don’t have to do any adjustments. Instead, the chair adjusts itself to find a suitable position for you.

Freedom vs the Aeron

Like the Freedom chair, the Aeron is also one of the more coveted premium chairs. And it’s primarily known for its lumbar support. These two premiere chairs share a common denominator with the pronounced lumbar support. And some people tend to find the bask support of both chairs too aggressive.

The Freedom is more unique and more intuitive than the Aeron. And despite the lack of knobs, it has even more adjustable parts compared to the Aeron. So it can be that Freedom is more ergonomic than the Aeron. So does that mean that it is more comfortable?

Not really. Many people find both the back and recline functions too stiff. That’s why more people will still be able to find the Aeron chair more comfortable. The intuitive self-adjusting features of Freedom are not for everybody. It’s for those who want more of an active sitting kind of experience. 

So who will love the Freedom chair? If you want a more unique office chair that looks simple but packed with lots of adjustable features, this is the better option. And if you don’t mind an active sitting experience and you tend to move a lot while seated, you’d get more support from the Freedom chair. 

• Read more in detail: Humanscale Freedom vs Aeron – Which Premium Office Chair has more Use?
• Another showdown: Herman Miller Cosm vs Humanscale Freedom – Battle Between two Responsive Office Chairs

Final Say

The Freedom chair is indeed very unique. And as unique as it is, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It is more flexible than the Aeron, but it can be more pronounced and aggressive. 

Where to buy it

• Great option with headrest: https://amzn.to/3xvmjlF