The leap chair is a great chair to own and it has several differences and advantages over other ergonomic chairs such as the Aeron or Mirra chair.
Leap Chair
- The lumbar support in the Leap chair is excellent and while it feels stiff at first you’ll quickly get used to it. This support isn’t as rigid as other chairs.
- The seat support takes some time to get used to but you won’t notice it over time. The seat slides forward and you can recline as you lean back into the chair. The seat bends downward as you apply leg pressure on the seat.
- The Leap chair has the best arm design when compared to the Aeron and Mirra chairs.
- The reclining mechanism is different from other chairs. The back will recline while the seat stays flat. The seat slides forward and the mechanism gives the seat a bit of play in it. Some might like this feature while others will find it annoying. Try this feature before you buy your Leap chair.
Leap Chair vs Aeron
- The leap chair is more comfortable than the Aeron chair. The leap chair is very comfortable in many positions and it’s flexible. The Aeron is a bit more rigid in its design and you can only sit in one position.
- The Leap is very comfortable no matter how you sit whether it’s leaning back, sitting straight up, or slouching in the chair. The seat slides forward with your butt when you sit in the chair. The back of the chair stays in contact with your lower back and gives you good support in the process. On the Aeron chair the back of the seat and the bottom is always at 90 degrees to each other. If you lean back they still stay at the same angle so you need to stay in the same posture as you lean back in the chair. The Aeron can also be harder on the back of your thighs. The Leap has a flexible front although it’s not adjustable but it bends down.
Adjustments
- Both the Leap and the Aeron have about the same types of adjustments. You get tilt tension, seat height, tilt, limiter, lumbar support, and arm-rest height. The armrests on the ergonomic leap chair are excellent. The tilt limiter on the Aeron chair is harder to control and they have fewer stops than the Leap chair. On the leap you can move the arms forward, back, and sideways. The Aeron’s arms can’t be moved forward or backward.
- The Leap doesn’t have forward tilt while the Aeron does. This feature is available on most other chairs but not the Leap.
Cons of Leap Chair compare with Aeron
- The Aeron uses a mesh material while the Leap has a cushion material. The mesh on the Aeron is cooler and it’s more durable but the cushion is softer. The leap cushion on the other hand is kind of hard when compared to the Aeron.
- The Build on the Leap isn’t as good as the Aeron chair. The seat bottom and the armrests are a bit loose on the Leap chair. The tilt mechanism on the Leap doesn’t seem to have a spring in the mechanism at all. It’s hard to judge if the tension on the leap chair is right and you have to experiment until you get something suitable for your needs.
Leap Chair vs Think Chair
The Think chair doesn’t have that much support in the lumbar region. The Leap chair has great support and the back reclines without having to tilt the seat area. The Leap is great if you have any type of back pain. The armrests on the Leap chair are very adjustable and they are soft. The front lip on the chair dips when you lean which reduces pressure on your thighs. The Leap has an adjustable seat pan which is also quite good.
Buying Guide for the Leap Chair
- The V2 is the newest leap chair so you’ll want to look at this model as well as the older V1 chair. It has some good features and the V2 is heavier and wider than the V1 chair. The V2 has the same seating area but it’s narrow in the arms.
- The V2 chair has a sleek looking back but only a mid-height back. The V1 has a higher back version and is a bit rounder. There’s also a low back version with the V1 model
- On the V2 the arms are more adjustable and you can move the front, back, down, up, left, and right which is the same as the V1. The V2 uses a different material which is softer but thinner.
- The V2 has a front lip which flexes downward when you’re leaning forward. The V1 has an adjustment to flex down but you need to move a lever as this doesn’t happen automatically.
The automatic flex is a lot better with the V2 than the V1 and the arms on the V2 are better. The V1 chair does have better deals with the price since it’s older so you might want to go with that model if you can’t afford the V2. Both chairs are quite good and the differences really aren’t that much. It doesn’t matter which if there ergonomic Leap chairs you buy both the V1 and the V2 are excellent chairs which will provide you with a lot of comfort.
You’ll need to compare the Leap chair with other high-end models and as with any chair what works for someone else might not work for you. Take your time and get a chair that’s going to be comfortable whether it’s a Leap chair or something else. We have found the Leap chair to be very comfortable and it meets our needs but you might want something different. Try out various chairs until you find something that’s going to suit you the best.
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2 comments
As someone who has experienced both chairs, the Leap lumbar support is significantly worse than the Aeron lumbar support. It’s literally a thin sheet of plastic that you can slide up and down. The Aeron offers a rubber lumbar support element that can be height adjusted as well. However, the Aeron lumbar support can be adjusted on a deep or even deeper side (i.e., not simply a thin plastic – if you wanted the same effect, you could just not insert the element at all). Additionally there is an adjustable pelvic depth element that the Aeron can be customized with.
My recommendation for the Aeron is just something to keep in mind for people with highly arched backs. If you fall into the “one-size-fits-it-all” category of backs however, the Leap is probably the better choice.
Ironically, it’s the Aeron that suffers from one size fits all problems far worse than the Leap. Because the chair is sold in 3 different sizes, you can be certain that it won’t fit multiple people with different body sizes. Either it fits one well and the other poorly, or neither very well. If you’re buying the chair for home where your partner and other family members will be using the chair, or if you’re buying for the office where chairs are used by people of all shapes and sizes, the Aeron just isn’t an option.
As someone who has worked full 10+ hour days sitting in both chairs, I too have experienced both of them but have come to the opposite conclusion. To get lumbar support, and to get adjustable lumbar support, you have to purchase an add-on. The Aeron has two different kinds of lumbar support that can be purchased as add-ons for the chair and both of them were “meh.”
Don’t let the plastic be confused with lower quality. Providing flexibility in the backrest and seat, the high-quality plastics were all part of the overall design of the Leap chair.
The Leap Chair is as dynamic as the adjustments it offers. With a flexible backrest that has separate upper and lower movement, you are able to get great support through a multitude of seated positions. It includes an adjustable lower lumbar tension control and adjustable upper thoracic control as well. Both adjustments allow you to fine-tune the backrest to your specific needs.
Best thing to do, go try the chairs yourself. Find a dealer and take your family if you’re purchasing for the home. Let everyone try the chairs and adjust them to fit their bodies and see what is going to serve your needs, not someone else’s.