Last Saturday i ordered a new swivel chair on ebay. Today, it arrived. It was worth the wait…
The Background
I’ve had my old chair for about 10 years or so, nothing at all wrong with it but it’s just noisy and i wanted something a bit more luxurious. I estimate i spend up to 10 hours per day in a swivel chair which is more than i spend in bed or on my two feet for that matter 
So although it’s ‘just a chair’, it’s actually very important. It’s important to be comfortable in something you’re in for that length of time.
The Assembly
As you can see from the photo above, it didn’t come assembled… but looking at the box, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was. The box was huge and very heavy. From my days working in Dunnes Stores, i’m used to opening boxes and assembling stuff like this. Whether it’s barbecues, patio sets, chairs… it’s all the same. Nuts, bolts and frustration. Nothing ever goes smoothly, ever. With this chair i had it assembled in record time… it was all too easy and then one screw decided to be a jackass.
I spent about half an hour trying to put a screw in to one of the arm rests /handles which is attached to the side of the chair. Eventually i got it in. It was secure enough anyway but i never like being beaten by nuts, bolts and instructions.
The Chair
I stumbled upon the chair on ebay searching for ‘executive chairs’. That’s what decent leather swivel chairs seem to be called. There were some chairs that looked extremely comfortable but the leather looked rather plasticy and my suspicions were confirmed having trawled through seller’s feedback from other buyers. The majority were happy but some would complain of poor chinese workmanship.
So i knew i was taking a gamble buying any chair off ebay but i also knew that the one i was buying looked to be the most comfortable of the lot and received no negative feedback. And i was right. It’s doubled padded which means it’s hard enough to support you, but soft enough so that you kind of sink in to it.
My old chair was hard leather. With plastic arm rests. This one had leather arm rests which was another big selling point. Having spent a few hours in it now, i’ve noticed it’s a lot wider than my old chair – American size as i call it 😉 It’s also a lot taller than my last chair. I can push my head back and have it caressed by soft leather rather than have it dangling in thin air. I’m tall (well, just over 6ft), so that tall back on the chair is important.
Side by Side
Out with the old, in with with the new. The mantle is being passed from one leather chair to another. This is the old one…
And here it is being introduced to it’s replacement….
As you can see from the side by side shot, the new one has good head support and a slightly curved back to help support my back. It also looks more comfortable and looks in this case don’t deceive.