Steelcase has been one of many largest names in luxurious workplace seating for many years, and the corporate not too long ago launched an replace to its standard mesh Karman mannequin that has players in its sights. This new mannequin encompasses a high-back design with some really eye-catching mesh weaves. It’s well-made and premium-priced, beginning at $1,030, however if you happen to’re in search of tons of changes just like the Gesture, Leap, or Think, you is perhaps left wanting extra.
Steelcase Karman High Back – Design and Features
The Steelcase Karman High Back is a hanging mesh pc chair. The Karman normally was already an eye-catcher, with its intricately woven materials, distinctive shade combos, and outstanding contours, and the High Back takes these options and builds on them. It’s probably the most fascinating and, in my view, best-looking mesh chairs you should purchase proper now.
While the unique was a regular mid-back workplace chair, the High Back provides a sculpted backrest and built-in headrest. When I used to be initially approached about doing this assessment, the consultant defined that the corporate had players in thoughts with this launch. In a means, it is simple to see why. It’s actually a chair that you could lean again in with a controller and recreation comfortably. On the opposite hand, there are sufficient shade choices and the design is minimalist sufficient that it might simply match into an workplace setting. It’s a handsome design that may work properly in a wide range of environments.
Like each Steelcase chair I’ve reviewed to date, it affords impeccable construct high quality and a advantageous consideration to element. Across the board, the Karman High Back feels properly made and designed to final. It makes use of a steel body with a flawless end (color-matched to the colour scheme of the chair) and high-quality open-weave Intermix material mesh. The materials is concurrently delicate, versatile, and clearly sturdy. It feels delicate to the contact, like conventional material chairs, and never plasticky like many mesh ergo seats. Time must inform, however upon shut inspection, it would not look like it will be susceptible to fraying like a extra conventional thread is perhaps with such an open weave.
I’ve to confess that the brand new excessive again design initially had me fearful. Its outstanding contours left me questioning if it will really match my again or if I might discover myself huddled within the center with out really being supported. Thankfully, the backrest is designed to permit the mesh to flex and match the precise contours of your again. That stated, I might nonetheless advocate choosing up the non-compulsory adjustable lumbar accent. While the mesh is ready to flex, the lumbar assist offered that little bit of additional assist my decrease again wanted for lengthy hours at my desk.
This new mannequin comes with an built-in neckrest. Note that it isn’t a headrest and doesn’t work as one. It’s small and skinny, solely strikes up and down, and positioning it underneath the pinnacle forces you ahead uncomfortably. Shifting it beneath the neck, nonetheless, permits the contoured excessive again to assist the pinnacle rather more naturally. That additionally signifies that the precise headrest is totally non-adjustable. I’m joyful to see a neck assist, but when a headrest is a make or break function for you, I might extremely advocate testing the chair earlier than choosing one up for your self.
While I personally discovered the chair snug, I used to be shocked by the shortage of changes it affords compared to different main choices in Steelcase’s line. You can modify the backrest throughout 4 ranges, however two of those choices are locks (upright and restricted tilt). The different two supply roughly stress whenever you recline. It’s the identical ResideBack system I remarked on in my assessment of the Think (2025).
The different changes are restricted and fundamental. You can transfer the neckrest up and down, the armrests up, down, in, out, or tilt them to totally different angles, and modify the chair’s top. If you choose up the non-compulsory adjustable lumbar accent, you possibly can modify that up and down too. There are not any knobs to regulate the lumbar strain or different advantageous changes. It’s simply two tabs that transfer a plastic-backed cushion up and down behind the mesh. Seat depth can also be locked.
Steelcase does supply different advantages, nonetheless. There’s a devoted cushion beneath the seat relaxation, bringing one of the best of each worlds between conventional and mesh chairs. The edges of the chair are additionally delicate, so that you gained’t want to fret about it digging into your pores and skin. Steelcase additionally nails the cushions on the armrests. They’re agency sufficient to really feel made-to-last however delicate sufficient that you could really lean on them with out giving your self a sore elbow. The contouring of the chair can also be properly performed too, with a waterfall edge on the seat, and curves to information you into a correct seating posture.
The Karman may additionally take the cake as Steelcase’s best-looking chair. Unlike most mesh choices in the marketplace, you’ve gotten the choice of getting translucent or opaque material. The latter does job of masking the truth that it is even a mesh chair in any respect till you look carefully. There are loads of choices to select from too so you could find a shade scheme that matches your persona. All informed, there are a dozen totally different schemes to select from, in addition to two Intermix Shift choices.
Intermix Shift is the place issues actually get fascinating for the aesthetics of the chair. It’s named such as a result of it weaves collectively two totally different hues of mesh to create a gradient that shifts relying on the way you’re taking a look at it. As of this writing, there are two choices: red-blue, and green-gold. I used to be despatched the pink and blue model, and the shifting, reactive gradient is downright lovely.
Other customization choices are extra restricted, although. Unlike the Think and Amia, you possibly can’t customise the colour of the bottom or body of the chair. Instead, that is dictated by your material shade. You can select between 4D armrests, top adjustable armrests, or no armrests in any respect, which, coincidentally, is the place that base worth of $1,030 is available in. You can even select between wheels for carpet or hardwood flooring with or with out wheel hubs.
The most cost-effective model with armrests (top solely) and the adjustable lumbar will set you again $1,269. The most costly model, which incorporates opaque material, 4D armrests, the lumbar assist add-on, and hubless wheels for hardwood flooring tops out at $1,584. With its comparatively restricted changes, this attracts into query the worth of the chair. While there is not any mistaking its high quality, if you happen to really need your chair to be 100% tailor-made to you, it merely might not be the best choice (even when it’s the greatest wanting one).
Steelcase Karman High Back – Performance
Over my years of testing chairs, I’ve come to acknowledge that I usually want material. I’ve sat in lots of mesh chairs and located them to be very snug, however between the 2, I want the texture of sentimental material and supportive cushioning versus the breathable net of mesh seating. This is totally subjective, after all, however I wished to share that truth as a result of a few of my conclusions are going to be based mostly on that private choice, so hold your personal tastes in thoughts.
The Intermix Shift material is superb, and since it is a weave of various colours, it stands to purpose that the opposite variations of Intermix could be equally delicate and cozy. There is nothing plasticky about this mesh. It feels very good to the touch and has a softness that I do not sometimes affiliate with this model of chair. At the identical time, it maintains the advantages of being versatile and breathable, one thing that the seat cushion, surprisingly, doesn’t actually hinder.
The design of the seat permits it to be considerably extra snug than different mesh chairs I’ve examined. One of its defining qualities is that it has a really light-weight cushion instantly underneath the seat, permitting you to have a cushioned seating expertise whereas most others merely really feel taut underneath your bottom. It would not take up all the floor of the seat, so it would not fairly emulate a extra conventional foam seating expertise, even from Steelcase itself, however in comparison with typical mesh designs, it is a large enchancment.
The backrest takes some getting used to, however I did finally come round on it. The first couple of days had been a studying expertise as I tailored to its contours. The higher again is much extra curved than every other chair I’ve tried. Once I used to be used to it, nonetheless, I got here to get pleasure from it. You must chill out and settle in and get that neckrest positioned accurately for all the things to return collectively.
Head assist is ok due to the adjustable neckrest, however I want there was some adjustability in its assist. The neckrest does properly positioning your head in order that the contoured again can fill the function of a headrest too, nevertheless it falls wanting a really adjustable headrest just like the one discovered on the Gesture.
The armrests are surprisingly much less adjustable than on the Think and Amia – there appears to be much less width adjustment, and so they do not appear to maneuver fairly as easily both. They get the job performed, and virtually talking, the variations in vary aren’t that enormous. The delicate however sturdy padding on the armrests is a way more vital high quality, and Steelcase nails it. Even so, it is laborious to not really feel like they’re a step down from these different fashions. It was in a position to accommodate gaming with a keyboard and mouse or a controller simply, nonetheless, and might be positioned to assist my arms over prolonged typing classes too.
The lack of changes is disappointing. I might have a lot most well-liked to see a recline tensioner as an alternative of the ResideBack system included right here. ResideBack is predicated on physique weight, in accordance with the corporate, however in observe, it actually simply supplies you with low or excessive resistance when leaning again. I personally discovered the upper resistance setting to be too nice and the decrease resistance setting to be too unfastened. I finally settled on the low resistance possibility so the chair did not really feel prefer it was preventing me. But I wasn’t in a position to dial in an actual setting for my weight and sitting habits.
The adjustable lumbar assist additionally appears woefully overpriced for what it’s. You’ll must pay upwards of $50 to have it added to your chair. And whereas it does work, it actually looks as if a cushioned material strip with plastic structural assist. My notion right here might be influenced by the chair’s restricted changes general because it’s practical and doesn’t appear significantly weak or susceptible to breakage. But that is an costly chair and it’s unusual to see it so good in some areas and restricted in others.
The general impression is that whereas the Karman High Back is snug, well-made, and options a number of distinctive design components, the largest promoting level of this chair is that it appears unimaginable. You are making some clear trades in type over performance, and if that is what you worth in a luxurious seat, extra energy to you. Given what’s out there elsewhere in Steelcase’s line-up and the broader market, I want there was extra right here to essentially make it your personal.
