Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm a big guy... 5'11" at about 300lbs. I learned years ago to be picky about my office chairs, as at my weight, "regular" chairs are either too small or break within 6 months or so... My last chair lasted me 5 years before I decided to replace it... not that it broke, but it was certainly worn and I more than got my money's worth out of it... i didn't rebuy the same previous chair because it had a design flaw that was annoyinig (experienced by me and well documented by others) so I wanted a completely different chair, and shopped around considerably before choosing this chair. There are bigger chairs, certainly more expensive chairs... I chose this one primarily because it had arms that could pull up so I could tuck it under my desk (and space in my office is at a premium, so this feature was really important to me)... it had to not be a tiny chair, and it had to support my weight... not a lot of chairs with these style arms in the "Big and Tall" category, but with a max weight limit of 330lbs, relatively inexpensive, and looking to be big enough, i took the chance. The most important question, i can't answer right now... "how long does it last for a big guy?"... well, i'll come back to that one a few months/years from now. If it breaks, i'll be here to report that immediately, so if you don't see something hugely negative about it breaking, it hasn't happened yet. Otherwise... my first impressions: It is a tad bigger than most standard office chairs in this price range, but it's certainly not going to be confused for a huge chair. At my size, i still find it quite comfortable... it's not as big as my previous chair, but it's still very comfortable to sit in at my height and weight. I find the bottom, back and lumbar support all pretty good for my frame, and while I wish the arms were just a tad further apart, it's not a deal-breaker for me, it's still comfortable. I'm including pics of the two most important real-world measurements... how much space between the arms (21.5") and how deep is the seat cushion where you sit (about 20"). If I had one complaint about the chair at this time, it's that I wish the seat cushion was just a little deeper (another inch or two would have been nice), but as with the other dimension, it's not a deal-breaker and I still sit comfortably in the chair. Out of the box first impressions, for a big guy like myself, I give it 4 stars... seems sturdy enough, is very comfortable to sit in... tilts nicely... i take one star off, because I think it could be a tad wider/deeper in the sitting area, but i'm pretty big and it still is comfortable to sit in. *Longevity of the chair, i can't comment on yet, but I do like the chair so far and am happy with my purchase... i will return to edit this review if/when I notice anything significant to report. *Longevity Report (end of life) This chair lasted me roughly two years (2 years, 2 months to be exact)... I was near the weight limit when I got it (roughly 300lbs give or take) and the chair itself was comfortable from start to finish... however, about 18 months of use, it developed a slight wobble (towards one side) that I couldn't pin down, but was noticeable... 8 months later, the "crack" happened... no mechanical parts failed, what failed was the wood base of the seat that the underside swivel-tilt plate screws into... the wood the base screws into cracked on the right, so the chair now has a definite lean to the left... there's nothing that can be fixed or replaced, other than the chair itself... bummer. Once again, I was near the weight limit of the chair when I first bought it... I imagine if you're a much lighter person, this chair will last much longer, as the rest of the chair is still in very good shape. I loved it while I had it... I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again for someone who weighs less than me... but if you're about my weight, it may not last more than a couple of years.