Humanscale Seating: Overview

Humanscale Seating A Relative Newcomer With A Lot Of Class

It would be a mistake to dismiss Humanscale when buying a new office chair on the grounds that it has only been making office seating since 1999. When you dig deeper you will realize just how far it has come in a relatively short time since launching the Freedom chair just before the start of the new millennium.

So how has it been able to become such an established seating manufacturer in little over a dozen years in the business?

Why Humanscale has been so successful in office seating
In an odd way it's Humanscale's lack of experience that has made it so successful in producing innovative new chairs. Unlike more established chair manufacturers it doesn't carry around the baggage of existing products and designs. This means it's been able to start with a clean slate with no preconceived ideas.

But surely a lack of experience is a bad thing isn't it? Only when you don't go about things the right way.

What makes Humanscale different?
From its first entry into the office seating market Humanscale called on the expertise of Neils Diffrient a renowned designer. It was Diffrient who came up with its first award winning chair the Freedom. This chair has gone on to be its most popular seating product.

It's a relationship that has endured as Humanscale and Neils Diffrient continue to collaborate on all its new seats, the last of which even bears his name, the Diffrient World chair.

By using such a talented designer not only has the company created a great range of seating, it's also given it a consistent approach. Each new chair it launches bears the hallmark of a master designer and at the same time has that unmistakable Humanscale identity about it.

And as mark of confidence in its chairs they all come with a 15 year 24/7 warranty so you won't have any worries about quality and reliability.

Let's take a look at some of its seating, shall we?

The Humanscale seating range
In terms of task chairs there are three seats in the Humanscale offering. The Freedom, Liberty and Diffrient World. Let's delve into each of them in a little more detail.

Humanscale Freedom chair
The Freedom was the first chair Neils Diffrient designed for Humanscale and in keeping with his thoughts on good chair design it doesn't have loads of complicated levers and knobs to set up. Instead many of the chairs functions are automatic requiring little user interaction apart from setting up the seat height and seat depth for personal leg comfort. Neither are complicated and are generally one off settings.

From there the chair takes over and automatically senses the user's weight and movements and self adjusts as you go about your work.

There are a couple of neat features which are definitely worth having.

First the the chair has an optional headrest. If you like to recline a lot while sitting then you'll find this acts as an excellent neck and head support.

Second the adjustable arms offer great flexibility. One of the problems with arms on office chairs, even adjustable ones, is they can get in the way. The great thing with the arms on the Freedom is it's very simple to drop them down to seat level when you don't need them.

As well as the standard chair there are also models for specialist applications like a drafting chair model, an ultrasound version for laboratory use and even a saddle seat version.

Following the success of the Freedom, Humanscale's next chair was the Liberty.

Liberty chair
In conceiving the Liberty, Humanscale wanted to maintain the kinds of benefits of the Freedom and yet take things a stage further. The main difference is the introduction of mesh upholstery to the back. However, the mesh used is a world away from the normal run of the mill stuff you find on the average mesh chair.

It's formed from three layers of mesh in a tri-panel construction. This gives far superior support compared to single layer meshes. In fact the support is so good the chair doesn't need a separate lumbar support as the mesh is more than able to support your lower back correctly and comfortably.

It retains the self adjustability features of the Freedom and so is very simple to use. Perhaps the biggest difference with this chair is that it is a lot lighter due to the use of advanced plastics in its construction.

There is also a side chair model which is great for use for coordinating guest or meeting chairs.

So much for the liberty, let's fast forward to 2011 and the Diffrient World chair.

Diffrient World chair
Named after its designer, the Diffrient World uses the latest in technology to take chair design even further. And clearly a great deal of thought has gone into conceiving the chair, Neils Diffrient spent almost 10 years working on the design of this chair.

As you might expect most of the adjustments are automatic. With the Diffrient World it's possible have both the seat and back finished in its unique tri-panel upholstery. So not only do you get great support, you also get excellent air circulation too, making it a great choice if you find conventional upholstery makes you sweat.

By using even more plastics it's been possible to reduce the major components used in the chair to just 8, nearly all made from eco friendly recycled materials. Simplifying the construction has also helped keep costs down with the chair starting at $200 less than the equivalent Freedom model.
The other great thing is the chair weighs a mere 25 pounds about half the weight of a typical office chair. This helps to make it easy to move it around your work area and office.  

Clearly Humanscale offers a great range of quality ergonomic office seating, helping to make your working day more comfortable.

Further information
You can find out more about these excellent seats by visiting our Humanscale page.

New Upholstery Options from HAG

We are truly excited about this.

HAG, partnering with izzy+, is offering dozens of new upholstery options across their seating line. Not only are new colors and upholstery families being introduced, but new manufacturers as well. We are proud to offer over 300 upholstery options for each HAG chair. The selction includes several environmentally friendly options, leather, wool, and vinyl choices. 

Popular textile manufacturers such as Knoll and Maharam are now represented in HAG's upholstery options. Check out some of our favorite colors/patterns below. 

Quick Tips: Which Casters Do I Need?

Higher-end chairs usually mean more options for the user. Many of these choices are pretty self-explanatory—“What color do I want?” “How tall should my seat go?”—but one area that tends to trip our clients up is the choice of hard surface or carpet casters for their new task chair. Here’s a quick way to remember which you will (typically) need:

Hard floors = Soft casters
Soft, carpeted floors = Hard casters

Standard hard casters are made out of either plastic or nylon, allowing the wheel to roll easily through high-pile residential carpet.

For both HAG and Humanscale seating, the hard surface casters (also known as “soft casters”) have a rubber ring around the outside of the caster which helps protect hard wood, while offering rolling resistance on other types of hard floors.

One notable exception to these rules is that we almost always suggest the hard surface casters with industrial low-pile carpet or if you are using a chair mat over your area rug. If you have questions about these recommendations, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

HAG Puls Video Demonstration

Want to see exactly how the HAG Capisco Puls helps you keep moving throughout the day? Check out the video below.

The mechanism under the seat pan of the Puls is the same one you'll find on the original Capisco. The only difference in the two chairs is the seat and back materials: Puls has a sleek modern look with the molded polyurethane seat and back.

For those adjustable-height desk users who want to be able to vary their position while seated, the Puls is a fantastic option to get you moving.

Video: HAG H05 Office Chair Review

In keeping with our HAG chair theme this week, here's a video review of the HAG H05 task chair:

The main differences between the H05 and the very similar H04 Credo is the mechanism under the chair and the arm options. The H05 uses one lever under the chair to control both the backrest slider and the seat slider, where the H04 uses two separate controls. The H05 also features optional swing-back arms which is a great option for a lot of users.

Fore more on the H05 task chair by HAG, check out our product page here.