Serta Claremont Ergonomic Executive Office Chair with Back in Motion Technology, Adjustable Mid Back Desk Chair with Lumbar Support, Bonded Leather, Black

I started my search for a new chair and did about a month of research. I had already owned a ~$150, rather nice Office Max chair. It was a decent chair, but a chair’s comfortability is more important to me than most people, sans a few who may be in a similar boat as me. I suffer from RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy), and it is a degenerative, disabling disease that causes chronic pain in limbs; in my case, I suffer from nearly constant burning pain down my left leg, blow-torch burning. I’d rather be water-boarded than spend an hour in an average high-school metal chair. Now that I have stated that, you know how important a good chair is for me.I happen to spend several hours a day at my home office, sitting for more than half the day working, playing, et cetera. In the beginning of my research, I debated between those high end Mesh chairs, high end Gamer chairs like DXRacer, and this Serta chair. I was really torn between the three. I was afraid the Mesh wouldn’t be comfortable enough, and feared the DXRacer would be geared more toward young adult gamers than office workers (though I am a gamer as well). So, knowing Serta has a good reputation with their products being comfortable, I took a good look at this chair and purchased it after watching the Amazon Video on it. I took a gamble, telling myself I could always return it.My uncle helped me assemble the chair. It took us about 20 minutes tops, me being skilled at assembly and he a little less so, but I imagine most people can assemble this chair without issue and within reasonable time. The instructions were fine, but looking at the box’s chair picture also helps.The Serta has all the stock, expected features and then some. It has height adjustment, with an above average max height. Me being six foot one, at full height extension, my lanky legs can’t reach the ground, which speaks to its scope. There’s only one other lever beneath the seat, so it’s unlike many higher end chairs that have a gamut of confusing levers. The lever on the left side will lock and unlock the reclining feature. When unlocked the reclining extent goes pretty far back. Let’s put it this way, I have yet to hit the max reclining position in a real life scenario. The last adjustable feature is the arm rest height. It works well, offering many different ranges of height. This feature in particular was one that I never knew I missed or needed. It helps improve ergonomics drastically. I tend to like the armrests high, subsequently my shoulders relax and experience less neck and shoulder pain at the end of the day. One downfall with the arm rests—this is likely true for only my unit though I’m not positive—is that the right one wriggles and doesn’t feel sturdy. It doesn’t impact my everyday use, but when wiggling it, it moves loosely. The left suffers from no such defect.In terms of comfortability, long-term sitting, and overall feeling, it is by far the best office chair I’ve sat in. In all my previous office chairs, of which I’ve owned many (eight?), within a certain time frame, possibly minutes or hours, I’d start to hurt. My chronic pain would flare up after hours of sitting or even just a few minutes. And my chronic pain wasn’t the only thing that would bother me. Sometimes my back would ache, my knees would hurt, and my neck and shoulder area would become particularly obstinate. The Serta has terrific lumbar support. Instead of a flat back, a gaping hole where your back would naturally slouch, the Serta comes in to support. It curves naturally with my back and holds me up well despite bad scoliosis. It’s not a full backed chair, for there is no head support, but I never found myself needing head support. I don’t sit in my office chair to rest me head and, unless your job is extremely boring, I imagine you don’t either. This is the first chair I’ve sat in that contours to my entire back. It feels as though every nook and cranny is molded to it. The seat’s width is nearly sized to my exact preference. If you’re a little… bigger… on the backside, it may be too narrow. I can say myself, I very skinny and there is about an inch and a half left on either side of the seat. For this reason, it may not be suited for larger people. Speaking of butts, after prolonged periods of time, my butt never goes numb sitting on the Serta, which happens to be a first concerning my experience with chairs. Also, unlike those faux padded sub-$150 chairs, my weight never pushes me past the cushion on the chair’s seat. I’m light, but I do believe this is just superior craftsmanship and is the reason no butt-numbing ensues.On carpet the castors are extremely stubborn. The Serta is a hard chair to move when over carpet, especially when sitting in it simultaneously.The chair’s biggest selling point is its biggest downfall. The Back-in-Motion pivot design simply doesn’t work well. It can even be uncomfortable in some positions. I don’t know if this is the case because I am a mere 140 pounds, but the back in motion technology fails to move with me when I lean forward. The only way I can get it to move with me is by kicking my legs out forcefully, and then it fights with me until it reverts back to its natural position. Also in my office it’s difficult to kick my legs out—not to mention awkward—because my leg room is restricted by the computer and desk in front of me. I would have returned the chair for this sole reason if it wasn’t perfect in nearly every other category. Having been a person with back problems, multiple surgeries, and chronic pain, I can overall strongly recommend this chair. If you’re in a similar situation to mine, the Serta just may be the answer to your problems.

I originally gave this chair a 5 STAR review based upon my first impressions and what I experienced. I researched chairs, wanted a reputable company, with a great warranty. After 18 months of having the chair, I realized the warranty isn't worth anything!First of all, manufacturer warranty is only ONE YEAR for cushions. I will honestly tell you, after about 18 months of using this chair daily, you will feel nothing but a metal plate under your bum. Forget an extra, or extended warranty. Same thing applies and they hardly cover anything.My Original Review with updates:I have personally researched several office chairs before deciding on this specific chair. I was really mixed with the reviews that many have left about this chair. I had to remember that many people are quick to give a bad review and slow to give a good one. I am very happy that I gave this chair a try because it has already impressed me in several ways.With my previous chair, I could not sit in for long periods of time without back pain. I have been able to sit in this chair for 8 hours, without any pain at all. I will update my review after some time has passed and it is used more. There are 3 of us that have tested this chair in the few days I have had it.Me (5’8”, 175 lbs), my husband (6’1”, 295 lbs.), and my son (5’8” 150 lbs.)I will cover some of the points, as I noticed these were mentioned in the reviews.1. If you are tall, you don’t need to look for a different chair. Some complaints I read were about the size of the chair. The seating area is not smaller than most chairs. In fact, it was several inches wider than my previous chair and others I have in my home. The length of the chair seat from the back to the front is also a few inches bigger. My husband is not a small man and he felt comfortable in this chair. Everyone was able to adjust the height of the chair to have our feet flat on the floor.Update: I still can not complain about the size of the chair. It is great for taller people.2. I currently am a college student online for graphic arts. I always sit at my desk with homework or drawing. My previous chair was worn out and I often put pillows on my chair for padding or to support my lower back. The lumbar support with this chair is perfect for me. It has been mentioned in other reviews that this lumbar support is not a benefit for them, and it is rather awkward. The chair is not the issue, it is more of the way a person sits in the chair. This has been a learning process for me, as I want to slouch over my desk. If you will pull the chair closer to the desk, you will feel the support from the lumbar system. It is a small area of the chair that pivots when you move.Update: About 9 months into using the chair, the lumbar cushion broke down. After 18 months, you can only feel a metal plate dig into your lower back. I normally sit forward in my chair now.3. The chair gives me great comfort when I am sitting in it. The padding is nice, and the back of the chair gives me support when I lean back. There is a lever that allows the back of the chair to stay in place, which I do not use. There is a tension adjuster under the seat that will allow you to adjust the resistance of the chair leaning back.Update: There is not any cushion left on the seat area of this chair. I really expected it to last longer than 2 years for the price paid. Extended warranty will not cover any cushion issues.4. The lumbar support is not something well explained in the description. I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into. It does not push up against your back, it gives only slight support to your back when you lean forward. The seat does angle slightly down, but I do not feel as though I am falling out of my chair. Again, I feel some reviews here are simply people that are not properly sitting in the chair. I do agree with some reviews and wish it did offer more support. Maybe the lumbar pillow should be larger or pivots further into a forward motion.Update: After using the chair for several months, I did start to lean forward. I believe this is why the cushion wears out so fast. I am constantly arranging myself back up into the chair.Good Points:The chair is comfortable and provides ample padding.I like the smooth rolling of the chair.I totally like the lumbar support, it pivots very well to adjust to your movements.I personally didn’t find the chair to be difficult for height and keeping my feet flat on the floor.It was easy to assemble, everything had a letter or number and simple steps to complete.Assembly took a very short amount of time and I was able to do it myself.Update: The only good point left is that I am able to keep my feet flat on the floor.Bad Points:The lumbar support does take some adjusting to get max benefits from it.I would like to see the base of the chair be constructed of metal or better materials.The arms of the chair could use some work. The pushbuttons to change the height can be tricky based upon where the arms are fixed to the chair.I also do not like the push buttons on the outside, as they can easily be pressed by animals rubbing against them or small children in the home.The arms also have a weird position. When you attach them, there is a cut out on the bracket, as though they are adjustable to position where you need them. It didn’t work for me, as they would not adjust the arms in, just allowed you to adjust them out further from the seat edges.Update: Added bad points would be this chair will not last long. Your cushions will wear down quickly. After using the chair for 6 months or longer, you will find all the good points turn into bad ones.Where improvements could be made:The arms of the chair would be better if you could pull them up and out of the way.Make the arms of the chair more adjustable, where you can have them closer to the seating area, not further.Allow adjustment for the lumbar pivot to come forward more.Change the base of the chair because the faux metal covering on the plastic makes the chair look cheap.I also do not prefer the white stitching on the chair. It would be nice to have the option of black stitching.I give this chair 5 stars because it is the most comfortable chair that I have owned in years. The padding is enough to give comfort, but not over-padded to make it bulky.Final thoughts:Do not buy this chair if you want something to use for longer than 6 months. It is an awful chair that seems fabulous when you first get it. Beware! Do not spend your dollars on something that will not last. I wish I never bought this thing.

I love this chair my only complaint is there is a squeek I cannot locate to oil and it is very annoying. However, that is an issue with this chair, I doubt all are this bad. Oh, the set I got had no instruction to put it together so my husband I am sure would rate this much lower since he had the problem of putting it together. But as for the chair, I love it. I sm short and it fits me.