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Humanscale Diffrient Smart Office Chair Review

While decent, we expected a significantly more impressive performance from this incredibly expensive chair
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Humanscale Diffrient Smart Office Chair Review (The Diffrient is a great chair, but it is a bit pricey.)
The Diffrient is a great chair, but it is a bit pricey.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Price:  $1,570 List
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Manufacturer:   Humanscale
By Hayley Thomas, David Wise, and Austin Palmer  ⋅  Jun 25, 2021
67
OVERALL
SCORE

RANKED
#9 of 14
  • Comfort - 50% 6.7
  • Adjustability - 35% 5.8
  • Durability - 10% 8.5
  • Ease of Assembly - 5% 10.0

Our Verdict

The Humanscale Diffrient Smart Office Chair has a high price tag, and its performance isn't entirely commensurate with its premium price. It scored above average in several metrics but didn't really distinguish itself from the best office chairs in our group — besides its price tag, of course. The Diffrient is well-built and a snap to assemble, but other chairs are more comfortable and have more adjustability — the most important traits a good office chair should have — making it hard to recommend. Overall, we don't foresee anyone being disappointed in this chair, but for this much money, you have better options.
REASONS TO BUY
Sturdy
Easy to assemble
REASONS TO AVOID
Expensive
Could be more adjustable

Compare to Similar Products

(change comparison)
 
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Office Chair
Best Buy Award
Best Bang for the Buck
Best Buy Award
Best on a Tight Budget
 
Price $1,570 List
$1,525 at Amazon		$1,299 List
$1,039 at Amazon		$819 List
$617.60 at Amazon		$180 List
$132.00 at Amazon		$97 List
$76.99 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
67
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43
Star Rating
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Bottom Line Given its premium price, we expected more from this chair's performance; however, it's decently comfortable and easy to assembleOur favorite year after year, this is one of the highest performing chairs on the marketThis chair boasts both comfort and high-quality features, though there is room for improvement in terms of providing additional adjustment optionsIt's not fancy, but this is our favorite budget-friendly chair for the moneyWith this model, you get what you pay for, which isn't much
Rating Categories Humanscale Diffrien... Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Comfort (50%)
6.7
8.7
7.7
6.0
4.0
Adjustability (35%)
5.8
9.1
7.6
5.5
4.9
Durability (10%)
8.5
9.0
8.9
4.5
2.9
Ease of Assembly (5%)
10.0
10.0
9.7
5.7
6.3
Specs Humanscale Diffrien... Steelcase Leap Steelcase Series 2 Modway Articulate E... Amazon Basics Class...
Adjustable Seat Pan Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Adjustable Lumbar Support No Yes Yes Yes; the backrest moves up and down Yes
Adjustable Armrest Width Option available Option available Option available No Yes
Recline Lever No No No Yes No
Tilt Limiter No Yes; 5 stop points Yes; only locks in the upright position Yes; locks you into a position Yes; 3 stop points
Swivel Armrests Option available Option available Option available No No
Armrest Depth Adjustment Option available Option available Option available No No
Tension Knob No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Lumbar Support Yes; a slight protrusion Yes Yes Yes Yes

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.

Performance Comparison


humanscale diffrient smart office chair - the diffrient scored quite well in our comfort test, but wasn't the...
The Diffrient scored quite well in our comfort test, but wasn't the best of the bunch.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Comfort


Comfort is the highest-rated metric in our testing process. We selected a group of testers of various sizes and stature, and they put each chair to the test. To award points, we had each judge rate multiple parts of the chair with respect to comfort and then evaluate how long they could comfortably sit. The Diffrient did well, though reviews were mixed; half rated the chair 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 1-2 hours. Everyone was happy with the seat and armrests, but the difference of opinion became noticeable when evaluating the backrest.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - opinions on how long you could comfortably sit on the humanscale...
Opinions on how long you could comfortably sit on the Humanscale differed drastically among our testers.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Adjustability


We had the same panel of judges try out the full range of motion on the backrest, armrests, and seat and then rate their impressions. We also had them assess the customization available with the reclining mechanism. The Diffrient wasn't terrible, but this was its weakest metric.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - we weren't fans of the minimal lumbar support and fixed backrest.
We weren't fans of the minimal lumbar support and fixed backrest.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

This chair got off to a bad start when we scored its back design, as it barely has any lumbar support, and you can't adjust the backrest 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 very adaptable, allowing you to change both the height and the depth.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - we appreciate the fully adjustable seat.
We appreciate the fully adjustable seat.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

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.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - the low reclining resistance made it easy to feel like you are going...
The low reclining resistance made it easy to feel like you are going to fall out of the Humanscale.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman


Durability


Next, we compared the durability and sturdiness of each chair. We used both our own observations and research into other user reviews to make our assessments. 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.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - this chair is one of the more durable models that we have seen.
This chair is one of the more durable models that we have seen.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

Ease of Assembly


For our last category of assessments, we judged each chair on the effort required to go from unboxing to sitting in it, as well as how easy the directions were to understand. 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.

humanscale diffrient smart office chair - this chair required almost no assembly at all.
This chair required almost no assembly at all.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman

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.

— Hayley Thomas, David Wise, and Austin Palmer
 
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