r/BTODtv

I had a few requests to try this chair out. At first I was skeptical because I don’t love mesh seats. It’s better than expected.

What I like:

- Armrests have the ability to flip up and out of way
- About 1.5” height adjustment range for the arms
- Arm pads have good range and don’t move super easy (depth, width and pivot)
- Arm pads medium softness
- Big lumbar with depth/height adjustment
- Lumbar can be aggressive or go away completely
- Comfortable headrest
- Deep recline

What I don’t like:
- No seat depth adjustment
- Lowest seat height about 18.5”-23.5” when seated (not great if you’re short)
- Mesh is decent quality (expected though sub $400)
- Still has pad under waterfall front that some will notice right away
- Base is multiple pieces and shows where connected
- Never a big fan of footrests because I tuck my legs under chair

Again, for $349 this might be a bit on the high side but overall pretty impressed considering how bad chairs like this typically are. If you want all mesh and on a budget this could definitely work. They have a 10% discount which helps on the price.

We've been getting a lot of questions about how we refurbish chairs, and honestly most of the confusion is our fault. Our process video is from October 2025 and a lot has changed since then. People are also comparing us to other refurbishers using that old info, so I want to get the current process out there. We haven't shot a new video yet because we have a couple projects going to continue improving the chair, and I want those done before we film it.

The biggest change: every refurbished chair we sell now gets a brand new seat pad. In the video you'll see us steaming and restoring the original pads. We don't do that anymore. Customers kept asking for new pads, and it's the only way to make sure every chair sits the same. The old pads get recycled with a partner of ours in Madison, WI.

We also partnered with the original OEM manufacturer of the Steelcase Leap seat pads, the same supplier Steelcase used before they moved Leap production to Mexico. Same foam, same spec as the originals.

You can pick from two pads. Standard OEM is the new pad right on the shell, to maintain the sitting experience of a brand new Leap. Extra Plush adds 1/2" of soft foam under the new pad. Many people think a new Leap seat is a little thin, so that's what that one's for. The majority of our customers select the added foam. Both pads keep the natural waterfall front edge, so there's no added pressure on the back of your legs.

A few other things changed in the last year. Our pre-screening on which chairs go to refurb got a lot tighter, so the chairs coming out the other end are much more consistent. We also have a process now to restore the mechanism so it moves as smooth as it would new (all Leap chairs have some friction, but the grinding, groaning and stuck tilt feeling is eliminated). If a chair can't be fixed, we pull it from inventory, reuse the parts that are still good, and recycle the rest of the frame.

The rest of the process is the same. You can select greener option parts (grade A used arm pads and cylinders) or brand new parts built to OEM spec. All chairs ship with brand new casters. New fabric goes on with a tunnel tie (the drawstring Steelcase uses at the factory) instead of a row of staples. We rebuild every arm mechanism and replace the wear parts so the 4-way arms get their tension back. Every chair goes through our 20 point checklist, every cylinder gets tested with the chair it ships with, and we lubricate all the same areas Steelcase does when they ship new. Each chair comes with a 12 year warranty and 60 day free returns.

It's still a refurbished chair, so you might see some light scratches on the plastic. If a Leap V2 or Amia has deeper scratches or blemishes on the frame that don't make the cut for our top tier refurb, it goes into our new scratch and dent option, which is discounted a lot.

If you have any questions let me know.