An Affordable High Back Office Chair Review

Perfect for Today's Executive—or Tomorrow's

I don't know about you, but to me, there's something about a high back office chair that evokes authority and importance. When I think of the rich, powerful, and successful, I think of them sitting in a luxurious office making deal after deal at a massive polished-wood desk, and not even thinking for a moment about being uncomfortable.

Fortunately, at least part of this fantasy is achievable for those of us who are not important CEOs, who can afford to get the highest price office chairs available.

While the rest of us are working our way up, we can attain the same appearance of distinction and level of comfort without breaking the bank. With the BBoss Black LeatherPlus Executive Chair anyone can experience the fantasy of a luxurious, comfortable high back office chair at a realistic price.

What to Look for When Buying a High Back Office Chair

Whether you work from home or in an office setting, there are certain features that are important for your satisfaction:

• Design
• Functionality
• Size
• Comfort
• Ease of Assembly
• Value
• Durability
• Quality

Design - the Aesthetics, the Pragmatics, and the Ergonomics

For executives or future executives, there are several significant considerations in the design of a high back office chair. First of all, the chair needs to look good. According to customer reviews and the images you can find online. This chair is sleek, attractive, and expensive-looking; it brings an attitude of class and authority into any office setting.

Another design component is practicality—does the chair have adjustable features? Are the adjustment controls easy to operate? Do the features hold up well under different circumstances and daily wear and tear? In the case of the Boss Black LeatherPlus Executive Chair the reviews on some of these questions are mixed, but most customers were happy with the overall experience of the price and the practicality of the char. I'll talk more about this later.

Finally, a comfortable design is essential for painless productivity. If a high back office chair doesn't have an ergonomic design, sitting for long periods can subject you to poor circulation, strain on your back and your muscles, fatigue, and general crankiness. The Boss Leather Plus Executive Chair has the ergonomic design and lumbar support to maintain your comfort even after sitting for long periods.

Unfortunately, not every body-type will find that this model provides the comfort they're looking for. Of the many customer reviews we found, there were many comments that indicated that the chair seems to be designed for people with taller frames. Otherwise, shorter people often found themselves with dangling feet.

Functionality - in a Chair?

I know what you're thinking—a chair doesn't have a function, you just sit in it. OK, you're right; but the functionality comes in the way the chair accommodates you. In the case of office chairs, you have to fit in the chair, and the chair has to fit at your desk.

That's where the adjustability features come in. With pneumatic controls, you can adjust the seat to the proper height where your knees are slightly above hip level and your feet are flat on the floor. The swivel feature allows you to change position from one area of your desk to another without scraping the base of the chair across the floor. This chair's description doesn't mention a swivel feature, so I had to search through customer reviews to find that it does have one, and it works smoothly.

Another feature that needs to function well is the tilt tension control. Your ability to control the angle that the back of the chair tilts is important for comfort, and it's different depending on what you do. For working at a keyboard, the back of the chair needs to support you as you lean forward, and if you need to sit further back for other purposes, the angle needs to tilt more backward. The Boss Executive Chair fits the bill, since it can recline back as much as 25 to 30 degrees, with maximum support and comfort.

The Importance of Size

Unless you've experienced a chair that doesn't really fit you very well, you may not be aware that the size of a chair is an important consideration. Among the lower customer ratings for the Boss Black LeatherPlus Executive Chair size was a definite issue. Many reviews claimed that the chair is not comfortable for anyone under the height of 5'8" or so, and the chair's pneumatic control has a weight capacity restriction of 250 pounds.

Otherwise, customers with the right body type for the chair loved the way the chair supported their backs, thighs, and posterior areas. Even some of the shorter people were willing to make some accommodations for size because they liked the other features of the chair so much. One accommodation was to put a foot rest under the desk so their feet could rest flat on the floor.

Comfort - the Key to Productivity

Let's face it—if you're thinking of buying a high back office chair, you're not really thinking about relaxation; I know you're not the type of person to snooze on the job. On the other hand, you do want to be comfortable. We've already talked about how ergonomic design, functionality, and size are instrumental in the comfort of an office chair, but there are other important factors to consider, as well.

In the olden days, many work chairs were made of hard wood with slatted backs and, if you were lucky, a seat cushion. Thank goodness we live in a time when furniture designers have our backs—literally. Once they have the ergonomic design in place, they also consider padding and materials to make our office experience as comfortable as possible.

The Boss LeatherPlus Executive Chair has padding that is both soft and supportive. As indicated in its name, it's upholstered in LeatherPlus fabric, which is polyurethane-infused leather. This material not only makes it soft and durable, it's also easy to keep clean, in case you frequently tend to have to work through lunch.

Ease of Assembly - a Major Wow Factor

As I perused the customer reviews, one thing that really stood out was the way that everyone absolutely raved about how easy it was to assemble the Boss Executive Chair. One customer said that her husband put it together in six minutes—less time than it took to get it out of the packing. The assembly process is simple and straightforward, the instructions clear, no tools required.

Value, Durability, and Quality

When you consider the expense of many other brands of high back office chair, the value of this chair is unmistakable, even at the manufacturer's list price of $360. There's no need to pay even that much, though, as many places sell it for much less. Amazon.com, for example, offers it for under $170, and delivery is free.

As far as durability and quality, most reviews are very positive. The padding and materials hold up well under daily use, and the mechanics are reliable for most reviewers.

What Others Are Saying

It isn't hard at all to discover what others think about this chair. Last time I checked there were 223 reviews on Amazon, with a customer satisfaction average of 4 out of 5 stars. Here's what some of them had to say:

• "It literally took me 5 minutes to unpack and set up. Almost too easy."
• "I'm in heaven. This chair gets the award for the perfect chair for a very bad back."
• "It is like sitting on a cloud!"
• "I'd recommend this chair personally (this coming from an engineer)."
• "The most solid and supportive chair I have ever sat in that doesn't compromise your comfort."

Any Complaints?

As mentioned earlier, there were a few customers that didn't give the chair a high rating. Some had issues with the size of the chair, so if you are a person who is under 5'6" to 5'8", this chair may not suit you. Other issues included an unpleasant smell, some squeakiness—which was fixed with WD-40, and problems with the pneumatic cylinder holding up.

There were also a few people who mentioned that the LeatherPlus material tended to be a little hot. In an over-air-conditioned office, this might actually be a plus! Overall, most of the negative comments seemed to have been anomalies involved with a single purchase. Positive comments outweighed the negative by a significant percentage.

Where Can You Read More Reviews for the Boss Executive Chair?

I found the most helpful selection of customer reviews at Amazon.. You can read the good and the bad, and comments about the good and the bad, and you can judge for yourself whether this is the chair for you.

Where Can You Purchase It?

This high back office chair is available through a number of vendors. Personally, I like going through Amazon.com. Their prices are usually the best, they have free, fast delivery, and a great return policy. It's also simple for me to shop for other items there since they have such a wide selection.