My enjoyment of this chair is being ruined by a persistent chemical odor. Otherwise, I love this chair. I bought the fabric version and it appears to have been treated with something unpleasant (formaldehyde???). My original review called this the Goldilocks spot for inexpensive chairs, because I have tried four and this is the best design out of the four. That is still true, and I actually would have paid extra to get one without any chemicals but the option was not offered, which is pretty annoying. I'm planning to treat the fabric with some kind of sealant as soon as it's warm enough to have the windows open, and then just use a fabric throw over the chair as a chair cover, but it's ridiculous that I couldn't find a similar chair with no chemicals. My original review had pros and cons, so I'll leave that information as it is below, except for deleting the part about the odor, which I initially thought was not a problem. WRONG! I'm picky about my home office chair, because I don't want to be one of those people who keep whining about how their back hurts, without doing anything about it. For years I used an ergonomic kneeling chair, which I loved in every way, but sadly it doesn't fit my new job and my new home office setup. I have actually tried four of these wheeled chairs to find one that works with no problems. This is the fourth, and I think it's a keeper. In retrospect, maybe I should have just sunk a thousand dollars into a really upscale chair, but as they say, you only have 20/20 vision in hindsight. Anyway, the thousand-dollar chairs are weird looking, and I'm not sure I would have been happier in the long run. PROS: (1) METAL, NOT PLASTIC - The Serta Ashland chair has all metal parts on the base of the chair, so you are not relying on a piece of plastic to support your weight. Previously I had a Flash furniture midback executive chair that I loved until one of the plastic cones at the bottom broke, causing the chair to tilt suddenly and try to dump me onto the floor. This Serta chair is all metal on the bottom, and the metal feels very sturdy. (2) EASY INSTALLATION - The instructions were printed in English with good pictures. The parts are clearly labeled. There are only 4 bolts to install, and an extra bolt was included just in case. All the holes lined up correctly with the parts. The only thing I would add to the instructions is, put in two diagonal bolts first, then the other two, then keep tightening the bolts in a circle, 1, 2, 3, 4, until they're all equally tight. For best results, don't try to tighten the bolts one at a time, but keep going around the circle until done. (3) COMFORT - Once I got it adjusted correctly, I found the Serta Ashland to be a very comfortable chair. However, getting it adjusted was not easy, so read on to the CONs for more information. On the plus side, I like the wrap-around feel of being cradled in the chair. My elbows fit inside the armrests if I don't want armrests, or I can raise my arms to use the armrests. Even after working on the tilt for quite a while this afternoon, I still don't think it tilts quite as far back as shown in the product advertisement illustration, but it tilts far back enough for me to be comfortable. Previously to buying this chair, I tried the Flash furniture high-backed executive chair, but the high-backed style didn't work for me because it forced my shoulder blades forward and gave me a backache. I also previously tried a Union & Scale task chair from Staples that didn't work for me, because although it looks like an old-fashioned steno chair, they made the back too wide and curved it in such a way that I can't hold my elbows in a comfortable position. This Serta Ashland chair (minus the cushion) lets me hold my shoulder blades and elbows in a comfortable position, and the mid-back style lets me lean back, in a back-arched position, to stretch every now and then. CONs: I think the PROs outweigh the CONs, and some of the CONs are very minor, but here they are: (1) SEAT HEIGHT - The chair comes with a thick cushion that is meant to be Velcroed onto the chair seat. I am about 5'8", and with the cushion on the chair, the chair sits much too high for me, even with the chair seat lowered all the way. Ergonomically, you should be able to sit in the chair with your feet resting flat on the floor. A shorter person might actually find their feet dangling. I nearly gave up on it, until I had a brainwave that obviously the cushion can be un-Velcroed and put in a closet. Unfortunately when you do that, the Velcro strip on the chair seat sticks to your pants. I solved that problem by folding up an attractive piece of printed fabric and using it as a seat cover. I like a firm seat anyway so I don't miss the extra layer of cushioning. Ideally, Serta would supply two cushions, one thick and one thin, but of course that would make the chair more expensive, so I'm just as happy without. (2) TILT ADJUSTMENT STIFFNESS - I nearly gave up on the chair, because at first I couldn't get it to tilt more than a couple of inches, even when I followed the printed instructions exactly. However, then it occurred to me that maybe it was stiff because it was new. I made sure the control bar that controls the seat height was pulled out and not pushed in, as shown in the instructions. Then I put on cotton gloves so my fingers wouldn't slip, and worked the tilt tension knob back and forth a bunch of times, and gradually I was able to turn it farther and farther to the right until the chair would tilt backward. The knob was VERY stiff, and I type for a living so I have strong fingers, and I used to use those finger strengthening gizmos that they sell in sporting good stores, so this is NOT just a "girly" comment. However, eventually I achieved success with the Serta Ashland chair tilt. I just tried the same thing on my old Flash furniture high-back chair, and it still won't tilt, so not all chairs are created equally in this regard. (3) ODOR - The fabric cover had an acid kind of new-fabric smell. I originally thought it was not a problem, but when the new fabric smell wore off, there is still a persistent very unpleasant chemical odor, probably something toxic. As I explained above, I would actually have paid extra for something more eco if it was available with the same feature set. (4) RATTLING NOISE - The metal casters rattle when you roll the chair, and are a little jerky. However, I still think metal is an improvement over plastic because it's less likely to break and should wear a lot better in the long run, so I can live with the rattle. (I ended up putting some old socks over the casters to keep it from rolling around on my hardwood floor, goofy but effective.) Overall, the feel and fit of the chair seemed weird at first, but the longer I sit in it, the better I like it. I think I will be happy with this chair (EXCEPT FOR THE ODOR), and I'm glad I kept shopping.
