
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Diffrient is a decently comfortable chair with excellent durability and ease of assembly. That said, it didn't stand out in any particular way and, for the price, we wish there was more adjustability.
Comfort
The Diffrient chair did well, although reviews were mixed; half rated it highly and reported that they could sit in it for 10-12 hours. The other half detested the chair and experienced discomfort after sitting in it for one to two hours. Everyone was happy with the seat and armrests, but the difference of opinion became noticeable when evaluating the backrest.
Adjustability
This chair got off to a bad start when we scored its back design, as it barely has any lumbar support, and the backrest cannot be adjusted at all. The version of this chair we tested only allows you to raise and lower the armrests, but the newer versions are fully adjustable, letting you move them up or down, forward or back, and swivel them. On the other hand, the seat is highly adaptable, allowing you to adjust both the height and depth.
Unfortunately, the Diffrient doesn't have a way to manipulate the resistance for reclining, and we found the default setting far too low. It also doesn't have tilt limiters, so you can recline much further than you make prefer by only slightly leaning back.
Durability
The Humanscale Diffrient achieves an excellent score in this department. We do not have any issues to report, as our chair held up well in our tests, showing no noticeable signs of wear over many months of testing and beyond.
Ease of Assembly
The Diffrient is top-notch in this area. The process was straightforward — you just need to set the top on the base. We were ready to go in less than five minutes.
Value
The Diffrient is far from a high-value option, pairing a middle-of-the-road performance with a premium price.
Conclusion
While the Humanscale Diffrient Smart Task is a solid chair, we would expect something in this price range to be a bit more impressive than we found this one to be.