QUOTE(Ziet Inv @ Feb 5 2021, 11:30 PM)
No, you are totally right, I have locked into this but still hesitant to pull the trigger as the colour that I want need to pre-order, and may take 2-3 months before its available.
The reviews on reddits from US customers are mostly complaining on the build quality + customer service, which to be honest, could be the issue as SecretLab ships from SG? I'm not very sure on this.
I've also watched a shit ton of youtube reviews from channels with less than 300 subscribers, and they don't even have affiliate links, and surprisingly most of their 3-months 6-months reviews are mostly positives, except for the negatives mentioned in reddit (slow CS response, bad quality control etc.) - Not sure how legit these small youtube channels are, but surely SecretLab won't go the way to sponsor them?
I've narrowed down my list from Autonomous, IKEA, Steelcase, and secretlab.
Many bad reviews on autonomous, and I tried IKEA Marcus and Milberger myself, wanna move on to something better (or pricierĀ

)
Have not contacted Steelcase malaysia supplier yet, so more research to be done on their price.
SecretLab is the only one in my mind with the most information (and contradicting ones too!)
i customized a steelcase series II late last year (got them before new year) for ~1.8k, with everything, i.e. 4D adjustable arm rest, adjustable seat depth, live mesh back, head rest and hard floor castor (this thing rolls on smooooooth)
doesnt looks as exciting as the so called gaming chairs but it's very comfortable, the way the armrest is built onto chair allows you to sit cross legged if that's your kind of thing
best of all it's made in puchong, so buy malaysian first

the only down side so far with the series II is that the backrest doesnt lock reclined, it locks only on the straight position, but the quick set (uses a ratchet instead of the old school twist) weight activated reclination is #velinai
and the seat's fabric is abit on the rough side, so if you're wearing shorts, it wont feel as luxurious as softer cloth
another cons is the headrest isnt adjustable, but it's not intrusive so it wont eat into your 'headspace' if you're sitting straight
compared to the likes of :
contessa II
contessa II has a very very comfortable seat cushion, the multi density cushion really does alleviate the pressure off your ass
lumbar support works better on slimmer frames (because it narrows the back seat width instead of using some sort of contraption for support), ive not tried the one with the extra lumbar support
but it feels very supportive as it promotes the back to be in the natural curve and fits be quite well (171cm/66kg frame)
there's option to spec mesh seat cushion at no cost, which is nice if that's what you want
very stylish
this is quite costly though at 6k+
steelcase think
series II feels quite similar to think, but think's lumbar support mechanism is looser so the thing can goes off position after sometime and you'll need to put it up again
very ugly

ikea marcus
i bought the marcus after first MCO1.0 out of desperation, sold to another forumer early this year
the chair is meant for taller frame so if you're a tiny asian the build will overwhelm you and your feet will be left dangling because it can only go down so much
lumbar support is quite low, so it's not really useful, i put a lumbar support pillow bought from muji over it (https://www.muji.com/sg/products/cmdty/detail/4550002564025)
the arm rest is low so may not be that useful and the structure limits your movement on the chair so you cant sit kangkang
the only thing adjustable is the height and the weight activated reclination is a bonus
but overall it's solidly built and the fabric feels nice on skin, and i've not had any backache sitting on it for > 10 hours in a day, which is cool
AM office ergohuman
on first glance it looks comfortable, but sitting on it for 10mins the lower part of the lumbar support frame starts digging into my back, also the front seat frame also puts pressure on the lower thigh part, so that's a big no no.
didnt bother to test further
herman miller sayl
looks damn good with the striking colours and unique backrest design with decent lumbar support, seat depth and arm rest adjustments
the backrest design allows movement in the shoulder while maintaining support which is great if you tend to sit on it for a looooong time
it's very decent consider that this is considered an entry level HM
cons: no head rest, with all the bells and whistles i think it's close to 5k
herman miller aeron v2
to me it feels slightly more comfortable than contessa II due to the updated lumbar design which feels just right, very solidly built with 12 years warranty, lots of adjustments here and there
get the right size and i think i wont look back
not to mention the classic aeron look makes it the perfect background in any setup
cons: miskin

V2 is 7.2k, V1 4.8k, find it hard to justify the V2, maybe in the near future i'll fork out for the new old stock V1 and give my wife the series II
herman miller cosm highback
the way this chair is built cradles you like you're in a hammock, so it's very relaxing to sit on, too bad it doesnt come with an adjustable lumbar and the 'leaf' armrest is more looks than functional
cons: miskin also

the high back leaf armrest version is 9.9k
This post has been edited by Beach_Boy: Feb 9 2021, 12:50 PM