Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After about 18 years, it was time to say goodbye to my Naugybeast office chair, which I loved, but was developing too many cracks in the armor for my taste. Ordered this chair based on the reviews and description. Pros: 1. This is a solid chair. To be clear, for those who think that the wood is from the bones of the Naugybeast, it isn't. They use some type of a hard wood and it is sturdy. 2. The leatherette (I think they call it "bonded leather" meaning that it is a mixture of leather and man-made materials) seems sturdy. The base, which has 5 hard wood legs could seriously hurt someone if flung at them. Again, solid. 3. The chair is a very comfortable chair. 4. Outstanding value for the $$$$ Cons: 1. This is made in China and shipped a cazillion miles. Had a couple of nicks which I could live with. If the leatherette was ripped or torn, I would have returned it. 2. This is a TALL sitting chair. Even with the pneumatic post, the lowest position is about 1" shy of where I'd like it to be. I have an awesome leather covered work desk with a center draw that I have to now sit up a little more upright for my legs not to be crunched. If you're nowhere near 6' tall, your legs will dangle and you'll lose your power over other people. I'm 6'1" and, otherwise it fits perfectly. (Addendum: I've had the chair for a week and the foam does break in a bit. The height actually is pretty darn near perfect now!. Still 4 stars though, because of nicks that came with it.) 3. The back adjustment is by name, only. It doesn't really do much. Good news? You really don't need it. A word of advice on assembly from someone who's screwed up many such gadgets in the past: 1. There is an L-shaped plate that comes pre-attached to the back of the upright portion of the chair. You will be attaching this plate to the baseplate that you've previously secured to the bottom of the portion of the chair. DO firmly secure the baseplate to the bottom of the chair before attaching the back portion of the chair to it. But, VERY LOOSELY attach the chair back to the chair bottom. This is where people are getting frustrated due to the holes on the arm rest not matching up to the sides of the chair back and bottom. There is intentionally a lot of slop built into the bracket that attaches the chair back to the bottom to allow you plenty of leeway to position the arms in place while loosened. 2. The screws come in a shrink-wrapped and marked cardboard sleeve. LEAVE the screws in this and take them out one set at a time only as you use them so that you won't lose track of which screw goes where. 3. Assemble this on carpet or bed or something soft. Enough said. 4. This is important: Again from previous experience, don't try to "make-it-fit" with the screws and threads. The worst thing that you can do is get the holes somewhat closely aligned then trying to use one thread with the allen wrench to try to "pull" it into place. This is the best way to strip the threads. If the holes are properly lined up, you should be able to use your fingers to tighten the screw at least 3 or 4 full rotations if you follow my instructions above. 5. Until you sit in this chair for awhile, the pneumatic post is just gravity fed into the base of the chair. Don't lift the chair up by the cushions without grabbing onto the base or it will fall off. After sitting in the chair for awhile, this shouldn't be an issue. (Addendum: One week later, I'm VERY happy with this chair, and you will be, too!