Steelcase Leap vs Steelcase Series 2: Ultimate Showdown

I’ve been obsessed with finding the best Steelcase chair for the past year. The flagship Gesture was underwhelming. The entry-level Series 1 felt overpriced. I’m left with a Leap and a Series 2. Both are my current WFH daily drivers on days I’m not in my coworking space.

But which one is better? I’ll need to sell one eventually.

Let’s figure out which one gets to stay.

Above: I bought the Series 2 and the Leap with my own money. The Leap is in a limited edition colour called Medley Pepper Black. The Series 2 is in Meshback 3D Microknit Medley.

1. Seat, Backrest & Armrest Comfort.

Above: The Leap and Series 2 side-by-side. The difference in backrest padding is particularly evident here.

Which chair feels more cushy?

Definitely the Leap, for two reasons:

The Leap’s seat and back are also more contoured. They cradle your body. The Series 2 doesn’t.

Net result: the Leap delivers a softer, more relaxed, lounge-style sit. If that’s what you want, the story ends here. Go out and buy the Leap.

(Related: Herman Miller Embody: Why People Pay $3,500 For It).

But comfort with cushiness is not always the same thing.

When tasking, I want a chair that will help me stay productive – rather than sending me to sleep.

This is where the Series 2 has an advantage.

Some people – myself included – will appreciate its unemotional vibe when tasking.

If you’re a sports car person, the comparison will make immediate sense.

Your workday habits will determine which chair feels more comfortable. Do you:

However, the Leap flexes further – and with less effort.

Through both the seat pan and the backrest. It’s almost comically pliable. The Series 2, meanwhile, offers a more stoic vibe.

Armrests on both chairs are almost identical. The mechanisms are the same, but the Leap’s armcaps are slightly larger. In day-to-day use, the difference is negligible.

You can target the C-curve of your spine using small tabs on either side of each chair.

But only the Leap gives you the option to make the lumbar feel less aggressive.

At its weakest setting, it’s noticeably more friendly than the Series 2’s.

2. Recline Comfort.

Above: The lumbar’s depth on both chairs is largely set by the shape of the backrests. But the Leap’s firmness can be fine-tuned using a knob on the right-hand side of the chair.

This section will be short and sweet – because the verdict is clear-cut.

The Leap has a superior recline in every sense.

It’s an extension of the chair’s dual purpose, allowing it to switch between tasking and lounging duties with ease.

There’s no recline lock. Tension is limited to a single setting. And even then, it’s too loose. I constantly feel like I’m tipping backward.

3. Aesthetics & Design.

Above: The Series 2 looks more modern and minimalist than the Leap. Big props from me.

Conventional wisdom dictates that design is subjective.

I call BS.

It’s something your uncle, who drives a beige Corolla, likes to tell himself.

Both chairs exude a safe office aesthetic. Steelcase isn’t known for creating garish, attention-seeking masterpieces.

It was launched in 2020, while the V1 version of the Leap dates back to 1999. And this age cap shows up in subtle design cues.

My favourite is the total absence of reinforcement on the Series 2’s frame. Most ergonomic office chairs use a combination of external spines or support braces to keep the backrest sufficiently rigid.

The Leap has a thin one extending from its base and looping across its backrest.

The Series 2, meanwhile, eschews it altogether – and relies only on the backrest’s material to stay stiff. And, as I mentioned earlier, it’s objectively more rigid.

That’s remarkable.

4. Pricing.

Above: You can clearly see the curve in the Leap’s backrest here.

This is a hard one. Priced at about $2,000, the Leap is about 50% more expensive (depending on how you spec it).

But it’s technically two chairs in one – a tasking chair, and an ergonomic lounging chair.

If you’re not planning to lounge, recline and kick back during your workday, and are unlikely to regularly do 8-12 hour workday stints, the $1200 Series 2 suddenly looks like excellent value for money.

5. Warranty, Assembly & Build Quality.

Above: The Series 2’s headrest is far better than the Leap’s – for one reason. It doesn’t protrude forward.

This is the easiest call I’ve ever had to make. Both chairs have the exact same build quality, warranty periods and assembly options.

Both are built like tanks. Both offer 12 years of coverage.

And Steelcase will deliver both within Australian metro areas fully assembled – for an extra $50.

My Verdict On The Steelcase Leap vs Steelcase Series 2.

Delete 50% of the padding from the Leap and replace its recline mechanism with an inferior one (from a Series 1 office chair) – and you get a Steelcase Series 2.

Oh, and reduce the price by about $800.

Your decision will come down to how you spend your workdays.

While the Leap’s not-so-subtle message is “settle in and get comfortable for the long day ahead”, the Series 2’s is “sit up, shut up, and start your 2-hour productivity sprint now!”

This is not to say that the Series 2 is uncomfortable. Far from it. But it does send a distinctly different signal from your body to your brain.

Do you like to recline during your workday?

Leap’s hip-thrust recline isn’t as comfortable as the Aeron’s, but it is still one of the best around. It will also let you dial in the precise amount of tension you need.

The Series 2, meanwhile, tries to keep up with its bigger brother – but struggles. It makes you feel like you’re falling backwards in a dream – Inception-style – rather than reclining.

For me, the Leap is the all-around superior chair. But I keep gravitating to the Series 2 for my short productivity sprints.

I’m keeping both – for now.

Steven