Tom's Guide Verdict
The Steelcase Gesture is an incredible chair, but it’s nearly impossible to justify its high price, no matter how comfortable. Still, if money is no object, every part of your body that touches the chair will be overjoyed by the comfort.
Pros
- +
Overwhelmingly comfortable
- +
Impressive armrest mobility
- +
Easy to assemble
Cons
- -
Expensive
- -
Underwhelming lumbar support
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I love the Steelcase Gesture. After a couple of months of sitting on it, I can safely say it’s the most comfortable chair I’ve ever had the pleasure of placing my back on. It’s soft and supportive in all the right places and has the adjustments you need to make it feel custom-made to fit your needs.
All of that comes at a price, though — a very high price. With a $1,444 MSRP (though often discounted to closer to $1,100), it will hit your budget hard. Add in the $277 headrest and $22 hard floor wheels we received on our test model, and you have a chair that’ll set you back $1,693. If you go for leather upholstery, it can exceed $2,000.
This isn’t the chair for someone who works from home occasionally. It's for someone who works long hours in their home every single day of the week (like me). I’ve always sat on one of the best gaming chairs while working, but once I tried the Steelcase Gesture, I realized there was a whole other world of comfort — but it’s only for those with deep pockets who can really make full use of one of the best office chairs.
Steelcase Gesture review: Cheat Sheet
What is it? A high-end office chair designed for ergonomics and comfort.
Who is it for? Workers who sit for extended periods during long shifts need a comfortable and supportive seat. Still, anyone with a big enough budget who wants to be exceedingly comfortable at a desk can benefit from the Gesture.
What does it cost? The Steelcase Gesture model we tested has an MSRP of $1,693. The most affordable configuration is $1,444, and the most expensive is $2,294 (with leather, the headrest and the hard floor wheels).
What do we like? The comfort is like nothing I’ve ever felt in an office chair. After years of using a moderately expensive high-end gaming chair, I didn’t realize how much better my back could feel with an ergonomic model.
What don’t we like? It’s prohibitively expensive for most people. As comfortable as it is, most people probably don’t want to spend more on a computer chair than on their sofa.
Steelcase Gesture review: Specs
| Chair size | 22.37 inches wide, 21 - 23.62 inches deep, 39.25 - 44.25 inches tall |
| Chair adjustable height | 16 - 21 inches |
| Chair weight | 58 pounds |
| Max weight capacity | 400 pounds |
| Tilt | 18° |
| Warranty | Warranty: Limited |
Steelcase Gesture review: The ups
The upsides are abundant with the Steelcase Gesture, if you can get over the sticker shock. Between the absurd comfort, flexibility, ease of putting it together and the crazy warranty, you can’t go wrong with this chair, assuming it fits your budget.
Overwhelmingly comfortable
Every detail about the Steelcase Gesture is about making you comfortable while you get through the workday. Whether you’re on your butt for an eight-hour shift or get up and down throughout the day, you can rest assured that your back and bottom are supported.
The quality of the materials correlates with its comfort. This is a case of getting what you pay for. I could sit here and list all its ergonomic features, but I’ll just say that it’s designed to put your body in an optimal seated position to relieve pain and keep you comfortable.
One particular comfort element that not every chair has is the flexible seat edge in the front, which relieves pressure points under your thighs. This is one of the reasons I think this is the most comfortable chair I’ve ever owned. It feels like it’s custom-made to perfectly support your legs, which is like nothing I’ve experienced in a lifetime of using sub-par gaming chairs.
Impressive armrest mobility
The armrests move in just about any direction to customize the chair. While Steelcase calls them 360-degree adjustments, they don’t go quite that far. Still, they move up and down, rotate side-to-side and shift front to back so you can rest your arms in whatever spot works best for you.
Another nice bonus is that the armrests go low, so I can tuck the chair under the desk when I finish work. Since my desk is in the corner of a small bedroom, this is crucial for the rest of the day.
I would prefer if the armrests were a little softer on the elbows, but they’re still soft and comfortable enough to endure long shifts.
Steelcase created some fantastic armrests that work for anyone, no matter how tall or short.
Easy to assemble
I was concerned about building the chair, but it arrived almost fully assembled. I only needed to attach the legs to the seat. It took me less than five minutes to go from the box to sitting on the chair, which is terrific. When you spend this kind of money on a chair, the last thing you want to do is spend hours putting it together. If you’re looking for a fully built chair with the same level of comfort, check out the Steelcase Karman.
You won’t have a problem putting this together, even if you're not mechanically inclined. However, the chair's premium materials make it extremely heavy. If you aren't physically healthy, you might have difficulty lifting it and putting it together. If you have an open floor plan, you can just wheel it around your home, but it could be a bit of a challenge if you have tight spaces.
Steelcase Gesture review: The downs
As much as I want this chair to be perfect, there are a couple of flaws — one is pretty tiny, and the other could be an absolute deal-breaker for some shoppers.
Too expensive
I love this chair. I’ve been using it for work daily for a few months, and it’s so comfortable. However, the cost is too much. A desk chair that costs more than most people’s living room furniture is hard to swallow.
If you’re prepared to drop close to $1,700 on a chair, you’ll love what you get with the Steelcase Gesture. For CEOs and executives attending virtual meetings all day while making tough decisions, it’s a perfect option to consider. For regular workers, though, cheaper options on our best budget office chairs page might be better.
Underwhelming lumbar support
It feels like Steelcase did all the research and development on the chair and then remembered they needed adjustable lumbar support.
This results in a feeble slider that barely changes the back support. I wish the company had given the lumbar support the same level of care and stability as the other aspects of the chair.
If you don’t care about lumbar support, this is a non-issue, but it could be a deal-breaker for those with lower back pain, especially considering its cost.
Steelcase Gesture review: Verdict
Overall, I love the Steelcase Gesture. It’s a high-end chair with all the bells and whistles you could imagine and a price that aligns accordingly. Ultimately, no chair can justify a price tag this high unless money is no object.
Is it more comfortable than models that cost $1,000 less? Probably, but it’s hard to qualify comfort as something tangible. I can say it’s the most comfortable chair I’ve ever sat on. But would I spend almost $1,700 of my own money on it? I don’t think I could justify it. However, Steelcase frequently runs promotions, and if you absolutely have your heart set on this chair, it could be worth waiting till Black Friday to pick one up.
Price aside, this is a tremendous chair that’s almost perfect. I wish the lumbar support were as robust and customizable as everything else, but it’s still about as good as it gets.
