General Information
A Short Assembly
Now if you've put a chair together before there likely won't be too much to surprise you in this department, but it's always worth mentioning all the same. The C7 comes as one package and in a number of pieces to be assembled by the user. You get the seat, arms, back, headrest, and all the bits under the seat as separate parts, along with a pretty easy to follow picture guide. I didn't face any major hurdles assembling this myself, with the parts fitting together easily and all the pieces needed for assembly being included.
During the assembly process I did find myself pushing the chair into some awkward positions to balance it in place for me to screw things in. This is the kind of thing that would've been made easier with a second person on hand, but if you're patient and have some furniture to lean the chair against as you're popping pieces into place, you're likely to get through it unscathed.
I will make a note here that you should take the time to inspect the parts of your chair during assembly. The legs of the chair I received seemed to be decently scratched up during transit. I did query this and it would be covered under warranty, so definitely don't settle if you find yourself in a similar position. I made it clear that I didn't need a replacement, but if you've paid for a chair, you've paid for it in good condition.
Not For Gamers?
Once fully assembled I got to have a better look at exactly what was on offer here, and it is something different to what I'm used to. In terms of the larger design we have something far more muted and plain-looking than your average gaming chair. The mesh version I have here looks great, and is more comfortable than I first imagined it would be. The mesh does have some elasticity to it when sitting down, but feels firm for the long sessions I've been on it for. As a material it also manages to stay really quite cool, something I've appreciated as we've come into the summer months. Though I do have some concerns for longevity of such a material, it's not something I can accurately test in the time-span of a review; the chair has at least stood up well to my awkward perching sitting positions for the past month. The seat does have at least a three year warranty (note the product page has an image detailing a three year warranty for that part, but states a five year warranty elsewhere), so you should at the very least be guaranteed that much.
While I do find the mesh both breathable and comfortable, one thing I wasn't quite expecting was just how much it seems to hold onto dust, hair, and other miscellaneous fabric fibers when compared to your PU leather and fabric seats. A lint roller or a quick brush down gets it looking new in no time, but it's something worth pointing out all the same.
Moving beyond the material of choice here I have some mixed thoughts, particularly about the arm rests and head rest. Starting with the arms, they both manage to feel firm while still being soft enough to put some weight on without discomfort. You're able to raise and lower them with them locking into position, but notably their rotation and their position when pulled forwards and back aren't locked. This is a minor point, but if you're grabbing the chair by the arms to pull it towards you or rotate it, you can expect the arm positions to be affected. This has caught me off guard a little bit when paired with a raising desk, with one arm being further forwards than I thought after I sat down. It is something you adjust to, but some kind of way to lock them into place doesn't seem like a huge ask.
The head rest is a similar story, but I would argue it's somewhat more impactful. You can position it up and down, and rotate it forwards and backwards, but none of this can be locked into place. What this meant for me is that the head rest would roll back when I rested my head, ultimately leading to me just ignoring it past a certain point. This does seem problematic to me in a chair marketing itself as ergonomic. With other chairs that don't actually have an adjustable head rest, I would typically just adjust the back of the chair to pull it further towards me, letting my head rest naturally with the back being closer. That isn't possible here either, with the range of motion from the back of the chair stopping around the 90 degree mark to the seat. I don't think that kind of stopping point is an issue in itself, but it feels as though I can't quite get that perfectly comfortable position I'm looking for.
For those that do like to recline in their chairs, you'll be happy to hear that the C7 both reclines to 114 degrees according to the spec sheet, and even comes with an optional footrest. Sadly I wasn't able to try the footrest myself. Outside of the back, you're also able to adjust the tilt of the seat, and how far forwards it is in relation to the back. Naturally the chair can be raised and lowered too, something of an expectation from any office style chairs nowadays.
One area I really did find myself enjoying though is the incredibly emphasized lumbar support. Unlike other chairs I've used where it's a cushion or just a bump, this feels like a substantial part of the chair that really influenced the larger design. It is slightly adjustable via a lever on the back of the chair to pull it in a little if you do find it a little too pronounced, but it is probably what kept me using the chair over the Andaseat I covered last year. Despite my issues with the headrest, the lumbar cushioning managed to support my lower back surprisingly well, leading me to adopt what might not quite be the ideal sitting positions most of the time. This would usually be me leaning forwards with my lower back pressed firmly into the back of the chair.
One Worth Buying?
FlexiSpot's C7 frankly has me feeling mixed. The mesh material makes it a great pick for those living in warm areas, and the lumbar support is some of the best I've personally experienced in a chair. Really it's just the headrest that puts me off wholeheartedly recommending it, as small a thing as that may seem to some. It's a comfortable chair, but you might find your $400 better spent elsewhere on something that's more of a complete package if you feel some of the negatives listed are deal-breakers to you.
