REASONS TO BUY
Easy to assembly
Relatively durable
REASONS TO AVOID
Lacks adjustability
Mediocre comfort level
SPACE Seating 5700E Air Grid Back Professional Manager's Chair Review
This chair lacks adjustability and above-average comfort but offers decent performance for the price
RELATED: Best Office Chairs of 2024
Our Verdict
Finishing right at the back of the group, we weren't exactly thrilled with the performance of the SPACE Seating 5700E. This chair has an exceptionally limited set of adjustability and wasn't all that comfortable. It does seem fairly durable and is one of the easier models to assemble. It is also on the less expensive side, but there are far better chairs that retail for slightly less.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
The SPACE Seating Air Grid is about average in terms of comfort.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Comfort
Accounting for half of the 5700E's total score, our group of comfort tests carries the most weight when it comes to how this chair did overall. We had a group of testers rate and score how comfortable they thought the backrest, seat, and armrests are on this product. We also noted their overall impressions and how happy they would be to sit in the 5700E for a full day. This chair didn't do very well and scored below average.
Half of our testers were not huge fans of the seat on this chair.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Starting off with the seat, this office chair received a mixed reception from our judges, with half of them rating it alright and half of them rating well below average. It did a little better when we scored its backrest and armrests, with most of our judges rating the SPACE Seating at least average or above and only a single judge scoring it well below average.
The backrest on the SPACE received a relatively favorable reaction.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
However, not a single one of our judges was thrilled with the idea of sitting in this chair for a full day, with most of them only really happy with five to six hours and one or two judges only content with an hour or two.
We weren't terribly impressed with the amount of adjustability on this chair.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Adjustability
Next, we looked at the different adjustable features available on each chair. This metric is based on the range of motion allowed in the backrest, armrest, reclining motion, and seat. The Space Seating again scored quite poorly for its limited adjustability.
The lumbar support also failed to impress.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
This chair only has minimal lumbar support and it isn't adjustable to match your height. The armrests are about average, only allowing you to move them up or down.
The armrests only had minimal adjustability.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
You can't adjust the depth of the seat and the chair overall seems designed for a larger person, with some of our petite testers barely able to reach the ground with their feet flat on the shortest setting. You do have a reasonable range of adjustment when it comes to setting the resistance to reclining and it isn't too much effort to get this chair set to meet common ergonomic guidelines.
This chair does seem fairly durable.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Durability
Next, we moved on to looking at how sturdy the SPACE Seating is. The 5700E did a bit better, earning slightly above average. We didn't find any major signs of damage after months and months of testing, though we could see where some of the backrests might be prone to stretching out and the armrests didn't feel as sturdy as the rest of the chair. We extensively examined other user experiences and found the most common complaint was the backrest or seat cushion falling apart, though it wasn't a giant group.
The SPACE Seating does require a fair bit of assembly, but has clear directions.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Ease of Assembly
Assembling your furniture can put a damper on the excitement of getting new furniture, which is why we chose ease of assembly as our final metric. The hardware was clearly labeled and the directions were okay to follow. You are presented with pictures in one section and written directions in another, which can make it slightly difficult to keep your place when assembling. However, the SPACE Seating finished out with a strong in this category.
Value
While this chair is relatively expensive, there are better options that give you more bang for the buck.
Conclusion
Overall, we weren't fans of this chair. It scored poorly in most of our metrics while the best office chairs are more comfortable and cost the same. It is difficult to recommend a chair that not a single one of our judges would want to sit in for a full workday.
The 5700E is far from our favorite chair.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
—Hayley Thomas, David Wise, and Austin Palmer
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