Surprisingly high quality!
HON Volt H5703 task chair _ Synchro-Tilt / SofThread leatherI may by be a fortunate exception, but my chair arrived within the corrugated cardboard shipping carton with no damage to the contents at all, despite minimal protective packing material. It also arrived even faster than expected (ordered Thursday, arrived Sunday) via USPS… and that was with FREE Amazon Prime shipping - Thanks once again, Amazon!Everything was packed into a small but appropriately sized carton measuring roughly 25” high 24.5” wide 12.5” deep (63cm x 62cm x 32cm) weighing nearly 35 pounds. The seat and the back support sections (pre-assembled with all hardware possible) were each wrapped in clear plastic bags, taped closed. The black plastic 5-leg base was separated from other contents by a single sheet of cardboard. The 5 casters were in a bag taped to a small box containing the pneumatic seat support column. And a small blister-pack card contained the two cap-head screws for attaching the back support bracket to the steel bracket below the seat. Included with the screws were flat washers and smaller split-ring lock-washers to prevent the screws from gradually loosening (they also had a drop of blue thread-locker compound dried onto ½” (12mm.) of one side of the screw threads) and there was also one spare bolt and washer set and the necessary 5mm. Allen wrench (hex-key).Threaded holes bored and tapped into the steel frame brackets were perfectly aligned for easy assembly. Just be sure to start both screws gently, do not force, making certain they will each thread in straight and easily; you do not want to strip the threads. Just follow the simple step by step instructions. My chair was fully assembled in less than 5 minutes. Simply invert the plastic base and plug in the casters, flip this over and slide the seat post into the base, attach the two screws to unite the seat and backrest, then set this on the pedestal which you’ve already dropped into the leg base. That’s it, you’re done!The seat and backrest of mine are indeed upholstered in leather. But, it’s a reconstituted “bonded” leather which is thin and soft with an even grain all over. This upholstery should last a very long time; just don’t expect top full grain leather hides would be used for these very modestly priced chairs. From online images, I had no clear impression of the surface texture which actually has a quite attractive shallow grain pattern on the non-glossy black finish. Attached is the best photo I can offer to show the texture on my chair's upholstery. It really does NOT look or feel like cheap vinyl and should blend well in a nice office setting.Yes, apart from the steel seat column (a black enamel finish) everything else visible on the chair once assembled is a matt finish plastic. But I think that looks fine and of course you’ll never need to worry about paint chipping or wearing through as you might on a painted metal base or back. The seat and backrest seem to be cushioned well enough and each are generously wide. I weigh 150 pounds (68 kilos) and I feel nothing of the internal structure pressing through the foam cushioning even after sitting several hours on the chair. Backrest height is not vertically adjustable, but it feels fine for me - male, 5’ 7” (170cm.) tall.The chair seems VERY stable! Beneath the plastic exterior of the seat is a wood core and this surely adds weight but is exactly what you would want for durability. Controls all operate smoothly. Press the lever on your right beneath the chair upward while sitting and rise up a bit to adjust the seat height. You just pull the height adjustment rod outward ½” (12mm) to enable the full synchro-tilt option and in this position the lever remains flush in a vertical plane with the seat top; it does not stick out awkwardly. If that lever is left pressed in, the locked backrest will still flex back slightly (for comfort or if you want to occasionally lean back and stretch), but only around 10 degrees from vertical. Chair smoothly swivels 360 degrees and the covered double-wheel plastic casters are fine for low pile carpeting. The bottom of the chair seat also comes pre-tapped with two sets of 4 holes intended for potential addition of HON’s available (optional) adjustable-height arm rests.My assembled chair weighs 31.2 pounds (14.15 kg.); fabric or mesh back models likely weigh slightly less. Higher online weight estimates I've seen may include the additional 3 pounds 10 ounces (1.65 kg.) of packaging.I always agonize over any online purchases, read countless consumer reviews of any products which I consider, then just hope for the best but expect the worst. In this case, I’m really very pleased with the overall quality of this relatively inexpensive chair and with the ease of minimal assembly required. It is produced in China (isn’t everything these days?) but is offered by a reliable well known furniture company which even supports it with a lifetime warranty. Price I paid on Amazon was excellent as was the surprising speed of delivery. I would highly recommend this chair to anyone I know.Update 2021:After 4-1/2 years of daily use at my home computer desk this has functioned perfectly in every way. Still very comfortable for me. Again, I'm only 5'7" tall and weigh well under 150 pounds and have found the padding adequate and the seat and back rest are not at all "too large". I definitely sit at this chair a full 8 hours or more 7 days per week so this is a good long term test review.HOWEVER... one thing which prompted me to add to this re-review is the quality of the "SofLeather" upholstery. From the time of purchase, I had no great expectations considering the very low cost. However this winter I began to notice splits forming at the front of the seat where my legs drape over. Close examination under magnification reveals the bonded leather is what you might expect: not very durable over long term use. I can now clearly see that there is only a very thin layer of (reconstituted) leather fused to a fibrous white synthetic backing.The feel of the topping is still soft, supple, comfortable to the touch and basically looks as new. But, where several 1" long cracks had formed, clearly revealing the white backing, the seat really looks tattered, although there is no foam padding threatening to push through. The padding had also compressed somewhat along that front edge but nothing which I would consider uncomfortable.The upholstery may still be covered within the manufacturer's "warranty" period and conditions, but probably not worth the bother for me to consider looking into that. There is a nearby upholstery firm which I might bring the seat alone to for an estimate (it would be easy for me to disassemble the chair). I'm fairly handy, so I might also consider sourcing a square of soft thin "real" leather from a local Tandy leather store and recover the seat myself. For now... a couple strips of the dreaded ubiquitous "black duct tape" is my viable temporary "remedy" - yes, seriously! - mainly to keep the splits from extending further onto the seat top.Just wanted to add this info for anyone who may be rougher than me on their furniture or may have higher expectations of the "leather" which is used for these budget priced chairs. Otherwise, I have no complaints at all about the overall quality of construction; all features still function smoothly and, as I mentioned before, initial assembly of the chair was fast and easy.