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Good Questions: Local Showroom to Test Task Chairs?
Los Angeles

AT reader Nathan writes in:
A while back, Gregory posted about purchasing a Steelcase Leap task chair. I have two questions:

  1. How's that going?
  2. Does anyone know of a store in LA where one can test drive some of these chairs?


I'm torn between the Leap and the Knoll Life chair and I'd love the opportunity to compare them in person before purchasing one of them for my home office. Thanks!

Got a good question you'd like answered? Send your queries and a photo or two illustrating your question, and we'll see if the ATLA team or our readers can help you out.

 
 

Nathan, we've been extremely happy with the Steelcase Leap task chair's ergonomic comfort. We've owned an Aeron, and the Leap is indeed a leap beyond in comfort thanks to a more supportive seat and padded lumbar region. The Leap has proven to stave off any back problems (we previously suffered for the remnants of a sciatic nerve injury) and the only maintenance it requires is an occasional upholstery steam clean (we should eat less at the desk...and less chocolate).

In regards to trying out task chairs in person, we recommend heading down to your local Design Within Reach, where the Knoll Life can be tested for comfort. Unfortunately, they do not carry the Steelcase Leap, but you might be able to find a local retailer via Steelcase for a showroom demo (we purchased our own after enjoying Maxwell's Leap when we first visited the AT New York offices and haven't looked back every since). Anyone out there seen a Leap in the wild and in store?

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Good Questions, Steelcase Leap, task chair

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Comments (11)

Does anyone know where the posters on the wall that depict clutter are from? I've seen them before but I can't find any info on them.

posted by modernguy on January 12th 2009 at 8:07pm
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The top one is a Kozyndan print, I've seen the bottom one before too but can't recall where from.

posted by a6sinthe on January 12th 2009 at 8:19pm
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They're both works from kozyndan. Amusingly enough, I received them as "thank you" gifts after helping clean and organize their studio years ago. I even suffered an emergency room splinter in my hand while scrubbing clean their wood floors. What a fella will do for a clean floor (it was worth it for those fantastic limited prints).

posted by gregory on January 12th 2009 at 8:37pm
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You can test these chairs at their showrooms both Steelcase and Knoll have showrooms in Santa Monica.
You can purchase either chair through Steelcase or Knoll's distribution partners. You can also test the chairs at the distribution/dealers showrooms as well. If you go to the websites their dealers are listed on the the website.
Or you can call them and ask for the closest dealer near you. I like the Leap chair the best but my all time favorite is the original task chair from Humanscale. Task chairs are personal so it is best to go and sit in them and each of these chairs offers several different options and sizes.

posted by LoriSF on January 12th 2009 at 9:26pm
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LoriSF answered it all.

I recommend, though, that you take a look at the Siento chair, too. If I had the cash, it'd be in my office! (I wrote the brochure for it, too.)

posted by modtramp on January 12th 2009 at 9:55pm
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I sit in a Life Chair everyday - and really nothing can compare! I'd suggest getting the ultra seat topper which is a little cushier. I'd also purchase from a dealership - DWR only carries a limited amount of options - at a dealership you'd be able to pick any finish and choose from hundreds of knolltextiles or leathers.

posted by karotts on January 12th 2009 at 11:18pm
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There's a better answer than going to 2 separate showrooms. You can go to Jules Seltzer in West Hollywood. They are a furniture dealer and they have every task chair available in their showroom for you to try.

posted by Nicole Sylianteng on January 13th 2009 at 2:30am
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I'm sitting in a Leap as I type this. It's nice to work for a big corporation that is willing to put its money behind employee health and safety. The Leap is considered top of the line when it comes to office ergonomics, so if you can afford to get one for your home office, good for you!

posted by natalie.c on January 13th 2009 at 8:33am
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I have been very happily sitting in a Leap for 10 years, 8 of which have been in my home office. Super comfy, has helped me ward off back or carpal tunnel issues and has a great array of adjustments so I can vary how I sit. I absolutely recommended getting one!

posted by Gursk on January 13th 2009 at 12:13pm
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Relax the Back (a number of locations throughout LA) have a good selection of high quality task chairs for the test driving.

This is where I went to test out the Humanscale Freedom and Steelcase Leap before buying the freedom (elsewhere... Relax The Back is crazy overpriced!)

Good luck.

posted by blahspam on January 13th 2009 at 12:15pm
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Thank you!

posted by modernguy on January 13th 2009 at 12:39pm
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