Humanscale Freedom

Muso

Muso

Muso

Associate
Joined
15 Mar 2006
Posts
243
Hi,

Does anyone have this chair? I'm currently an owner of a Nobelchairs Hero which I think is pretty decent but it is a little bit large for me and I'm finding the arms to be a bit of a pain when I play guitar. The Freedom has arms which lower out the way so it looks ideal for guitar and seems to get good reviews.

Has anyone owned both chairs and able to provide a comparison between the two?

Cheers
 
I have a Freedom and quite happy with it. It's self adjusting recline is a little awkward at times (shorter legs) meaning it can not offer a lot of resistance to go into full recline but the whole recline mechanism works well with the head rest coming forward as they chair tilts back.

It would be nice to have a recline lock to fix it into position for when you want to really lean back but not go into a full tilt.


It's definitely an office chair which you can sit 8+ hours a day in...I don't think I've ever come out of the chair with stiff legs or back which has happened in previous 'luxury' or 'office' chairs I've owned.
 
My friend has a Freedom, comfy nice chair, but poor quality. His arm rests don't work properly with engagement, and the chair clunks. I went for a Leap V2 in the end, but no headrest sadly. Arm rests move fairly back out of the way, but not fully.
 
Thanks good to hear that Joe, it's being delivered tomorrow so I'm looking forward to trying it.

That's concerning to hear it's poor quality and that isn't something I've read myself anywhere. I can see how the arms could fail but that's a huge part of the reason I'm buying it. I play guitar so want to be able to move the arms out the way which isn't something any other of the high end office chairs offer.

I've bought the chair from 2ndhand.com and will be comparing it to the Noblechairs Hero.
 
Well there's always bad batches for any item from any brand in mass production, so my friend's one could be from one of those. Though i do remember him saying something about the headrest too being not so good, it was a few years ago i tried his out mind. But sometimes you just got to go with your own preference regardless, the twisting arms are pretty unique.
 
It was so long ago that i only remembered after you posted again. I think it was to do with the way it was fixed and it was impossible to tighten it up without lots of strip down from the main chassis, or perhaps the fabric. Not much help, but you've bought one already :P
What i do know for certain is that he convinced me to get a different chair, despite me wanting a headrest. Can't say my Leap is perfect either, i have no headrest.
 
Thanks I did loads of research and I'm hoping this chair works for me. The Hero is pretty decent but a bit wide and I can't help thinking there is something else better out there. Buying chairs online is a gamble but there's a 14 day trial if I don't like it.
I'm really interested in hearing what people think, you don't hear much about the freedom compared to the leap or the aeron. I did actually try a steel case please which was terrible, but it was in poor condition. Fingers crossed and see what this chair is like tomorrow
 
That's the thing sometimes, reputation can carry some things for years despite there being a better or equally good alternative option. Sometimes you just got to try it out for yourself :)
 
I had heard that places like John Lewis stock the Humanscale so definitely worth a look (if possible under restrictions) to see if you can try one there.

It's strange to hear issues with the arms and headrest since they appear quite adjustable to me and should the need arise there are replacement parts easily available. I guess the only complaint about the arms I could see is that they are floating off the backrest and therefore one shouldn't bear a heavy weight on them too often as I could see that being a weak point.
 
So the chair arrived today, there's a few of things I'm not sure I can live with though. The seat only slides in out, there is no tilt and it currently feels like I'm sliding off the chair. The recline mechanism requires a bit of force to actually recline and it feels like it is pushing me off the chair. There is no real support for the shoulders, this is something the HERO chair provides. The headrest is more of a neckrest and you can only use it when pretty much in full recline (I'm 5,11).

Overall it seems ok, I don't see how it warrants a £1k+ price tag. I think the main thing bothering me at the moment are the angle of the seat in that I feel I am falling/being pushed off off it. There is no ability to sit bolt upright, there is always a slight recline. I hate to say it but I think this one is going to go back but I will give it a few days.

I know this all sounds very negative but I had high hopes. One the plus side of things 2ndhand.com were pretty good with the delivery and they have done a good job reupholstering the chair.

@Joe Jones any tips or tricks?
 
@Muso - It sounds like your battling against the self adjusting recline. If you dig your head into the head rest it'll be much harder to recline (since your then pushing against the mechanism). I understand what you mean about the headrest not engaging sooner, but then I've never seen a chair with a head rest that was actually to rest your head on.

The whole thing is a balancing act of getting the seat, back, and headrest in the right place. If one isn't quite right I find there isn't much resistance and it's easy to fall into a full recline. There isn't anything you can do about the seat tilt though, that's all part of the mechanism but I don't have issue with mine.


One of the things I found with mine is I couldn't treat it like my old chair. I used to have a high foot rest which with the Humanscale just throws the balance off completely...but then moving to the Humanscale with the seat tilt I found I didn't really need the footrest anymore. It took 2-3 days to get used to the chair and get the pieces in the right place so worth persevering whilst you're in the return window.


On reflection I am probably less dismissive of the chair 'quirks' since I had it for free.
 
The recline on the human scale freedoms is adjustable. You know that right? I mean the resistance of it.
I bought one off ebay and promptly sold it a week later after I realised how bad it was. I'm 6ft2 and skinny. I found it bad in pretty much all areas to be honest. Dug into my shoulders. Gave me aching legs. Even at full extension the headrest as you say is more a neck rest if you lean back at an awkward angle. No fixed tilt position so you have to always have infinite recline mode and you often want different resistance based on how much you want to sit up or slouch so you are kind of always uncomfortable. Arms mechanism is weak and sometimes flips down by itself. I don't get what you mean about no tilt?

Disclaimer: I also do not find Herman Miller Aeron's comfortable though so.
 
Thanks @Joe Jones I really think this chair is totally uncomfortable for me, I actually got lower back pain on my right hand side which is something I haven't had for a long time. I sat on it for 4 hours and it was pretty much unbearable by the end, I'm going to send it back. Also the arms don't go down far enough to play guitar which is one of the main reason I bought it.

@jaybee I wish you had seen this thread earlier, oh well another "high end ergonomic chair" another return. Yes I played around with the tension settings, from using this I can't see how it would ever work. by Tilt I mean when you recline/tilt the chair actually tilts with the whole chair like with the HERO. Just out of interest what chair do you use?

Something which amazes me is the RRP of these high end ergonomic chairs, the build quality is nothing special and I'm comparing this to the HERO which a lot of people bash.

Anyway I'm back sat on the HERO and whilst the seat pad is harder it is infinitely more comfortable than the Freedom.
 
Muso said:
Thanks @Joe Jones I really think this chair is totally uncomfortable for me, I actually got lower back pain on my right hand side which is something I haven't had for a long time. I sat on it for 4 hours and it was pretty much unbearable by the end, I'm going to send it back. Also the arms don't go down far enough to play guitar which is one of the main reason I bought it.

@jaybee I wish you had seen this thread earlier, oh well another "high end ergonomic chair" another return. Yes I played around with the tension settings, from using this I can't see how it would ever work. by Tilt I mean when you recline/tilt the chair actually tilts with the whole chair like with the HERO. Just out of interest what chair do you use?

Something which amazes me is the RRP of these high end ergonomic chairs, the build quality is nothing special and I'm comparing this to the HERO which a lot of people bash.

Anyway I'm back sat on the HERO and whilst the seat pad is harder it is infinitely more comfortable than the Freedom.
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Yeah they are all so overpriced. I don't believe for one second they cost anywhere near that to make, even trying to recoup the supposed R&D that went into them.
I currently use a piece of **** lol
It's my son's old gaming chair with barely any adjustment but for whatever reason I don't seem to get pain with it due to the way I slouch on it like an idiot so...for now, I persist but my hunt also continues. I never tried one of those Steelcase leap v2 chairs yet. They look ok but then...don't know till you try it and even then, it needs to be a long session. I hate this game. The Aeron.... I tried a size B and a C. Bought a C. Took it back for a B. Used it for 2 weeks and decided it was the chair that gave me back pain and pins and needles in my legs so now my son has it and loves it. Expensive chair for a 12 year old!
 
I honestly believe all the Aeron fans have somehow convinced themselves it's good because it costs a lot, a bit like people who spend crazy money on cars.

Sorry to hear you are also on the never ending quest of find a decent chair, as long as you have no pain in that "crappy" chair then surely it isn't crappy it's good?

I think the HERO is the best chair for me, I'm going to give up the search.
 
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