Steelcase Leap V1

Hi all,

I can't believe how long I've had my current office chair for... about 15 years, and the cloth is now ripped and I'm getting a numb bum when sitting on it for a long time, so it's now time to get a new one!

Is the Leap V1 worth it from 2nd hnd for £179? I know people say you should go and sit on one but there aren't any near me to try - so it'd have to be ordered and delivered. Do they put new fabric on the chairs as well or is it the one that comes originally with it?

Steelcase chairs are great, I've had 2 - a v1 (now my brothers) and a v2 both from 2ndhnd, i can sit in them all day and still be comfortable but it is down to personal preference.

The fabric is new and the prices for 2ndhnd are usually best offer so you can offer a lower price and see if it's accepted.

I have the Think model and it's built like a tank, can sit for hours and feel no ill effects.

Easy to service and spare parts can be found on the bay.

Great stuff, I ordered the V1 with best offer earlier. 2nd hnd have excellent feedback so hopefully alls well. Went for the aluminium base fabric seat v1.

Absolutely worth it, i bought my leap from 2ndhnd. Also yes and they do reupholster them.

2nd hnd are great. Before they had a store and was just starting out, me and a mate bought Steelcase Leap V2's and accepted our lower offer at the time.

also got my v1 from 2nd hnd good purchase.

What a coincidence OP - I plumped for the V2 with aluminium base and black fabric from 2ndhnd yesterday. I needed the high back so V1 wasn't an option, which is a shame as I reckon you've got just as good a chair as me for ~£100 less!

I had the same problem with finding a place to try the Leap, after almost a month I got an appointment with a dealer in Manchester but they only had the Gesture in stock. Still, I preferred it to the chairs I had tried (Aeron, Mirra, Freedom, RH 400) and most people I spoke to recommended a Steelcase over anything else so that made up my mind.

Jay Psi said:

What a coincidence OP - I plumped for the V2 with aluminium base and black fabric from 2ndhnd yesterday. I needed the high back so V1 wasn't an option, which is a shame as I reckon you've got just as good a chair as me for ~£100 less!

I had the same problem with finding a place to try the Leap, after almost a month I got an appointment with a dealer in Manchester but they only had the Gesture in stock. Still, I preferred it to the chairs I had tried (Aeron, Mirra, Freedom, RH 400) and most people I spoke to recommended a Steelcase over anything else so that made up my mind.

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I saw that chair, then googled the V1 and V2 differences and felt the V1 sounded sufficiently good. Hope you enjoy sitting on your new chair... looking forward to getting mine!

I thought the v1 came in high and low back and the v2 was somewhere in the middle?

I tried both at a place local to me and went with the v2, both excellent IMO, well worth the money

Are they new fabric and padding with the 2ndhand chairs? I've been looking at them for a while.

SwatKat said:

Are they new fabric and padding with the 2ndhand chairs? I've been looking at them for a while.

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good question, i didnt think about the padding... but new fabric yes. mines been despatched so hopefully here shortly!

Cool, there seems to be a fair few people that have bought them from here with positive reviews so they must be in good condition still.

I got my leap V1 over a year ago for under £120.

smr said:

good question, i didnt think about the padding... but new fabric yes. mines been despatched so hopefully here shortly!

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If you had the dispatch notice, the chair should be with you quickly. Got my V2 on Thursday (dispatched Wednesday), albeit in a half-crocked box. Thankfully there wasn't any damage to the chair - a few scuffs on the base and the castors were definitely used, but the important bits were like new. On mine the padding was original but the fabric was new.

Honestly, the first few hours I spent in it weren't that comfortable and I was worried that it would be another ergo chair that "forces" you to sit in its ideal position. But after getting to grips with the adjustments I'm impressed. In particular being able to adjust the lower and upper back tension separately is a godsend as I spend a lot of time leaning back. The armrest padding is great as well, a bit firmer than the Gesture I tried but I prefer it because it's just soft enough to keep my arms in place without having them sinking in to the rests.

I probably could have got a cheaper one if I shopped around, but for me it's £280 well spent. I hope yours is just as good.

Jay Psi said:

If you had the dispatch notice, the chair should be with you quickly. Got my V2 on Thursday (dispatched Wednesday), albeit in a half-crocked box. Thankfully there wasn't any damage to the chair - a few scuffs on the base and the castors were definitely used, but the important bits were like new. On mine the padding was original but the fabric was new.

Honestly, the first few hours I spent in it weren't that comfortable and I was worried that it would be another ergo chair that "forces" you to sit in its ideal position. But after getting to grips with the adjustments I'm impressed. In particular being able to adjust the lower and upper back tension separately is a godsend as I spend a lot of time leaning back. The armrest padding is great as well, a bit firmer than the Gesture I tried but I prefer it because it's just soft enough to keep my arms in place without having them sinking in to the rests.

I probably could have got a cheaper one if I shopped around, but for me it's £280 well spent. I hope yours is just as good.

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Glad you like it. You got yours a lot quicker than I'll get mine then, it says despatched, ordered Wednesday and still not here. On ebay it still says delivery info received but not in transit.

I use them at work (video editing) also bought 2nd hnd. Decent task chairs although I'd still rather have an HM.

Arrived today, very happy with it. Super comfortable but then my old chair (which I'd been sitting in for around 15 years !! ) was awful. I guess when you don't really sit in any other chairs much (I work from home) you don't have anything to compare to and also you just get used to it, becomes second nature to just sit on without thinking about it... well that started falling to bits and I noticed I was starting to sit in ways which weren't going to do me any good so .....

This chair, wow. Super impressed. The box arrived perfect condition so I had high hopes for the quality of the chair's condition...

The base looks great, next to no signs of use at all. The wheels also look new. The back plastic of the chair looks really good as well, there's a couple of scuffs here and there and the padded arm left is really quite scratched up - to the point where it almost looks like someone has scribed a pen on it back and forth... no idea how padded arms end up with lines like that....

Had a look on ebay for replacement arm pads and could potentially get one but it'd be shipping from the states.

However I'm not that fussed about that, probably something I might do after a few months or at the beginning of next year.

Jay Psi - how can you tell if the padding is new or not?

As for the chair itself - super comfty, great adjustments, giving me a much better posture too. Very happy with this chair.

ok it appears the chair has a fault - the lever to adjust the height of the seat - when the seat is at its lowest position, pulling the lever doesn't make the chair raise - so must be a faulty gas cylinder or lever or something - contacted the seller..