Description
Safco Uber Big and Tall Mid Back Chair provides comfortable seating for workers of all shapes and sizes. Cushioned-back support and 360 degree swivel seat offer an ergonomic, comfortable solution for weights up to 500 lbs. This heavy-duty desk chair works around the clock in call center facilities, dispatchers, shipping offices, workstations and other multi-shift and office environments. Made for demanding environments, the chair adjusts easily between shifts and is rated for 24/7 use (more than a 40-hour work week). Pneumatic lever provides easy height adjustment from 19 1/2″ to 23 1/2″ for a comfortable, personalized fit. Waterfall seat edge may help improve circulation by reducing pressure points while seated.
From the manufacturer
Fuhrhop –
Assembled but it was not easyI’m okay with the chair as it supports my 400+lbs and is comfortable. Did not order arms. I’ve assembled four previous chairs similar to this one, obtained from other sources, but this assembly did not happen easily.A reinforcement angle on the chair back support would not allow the back support to simply lay onto the seat base over the screw holes as implied by the instructions. Never had this problem on previous chairs and frustrating. I checked product review comments for insight and one mentioned sliding it under the seat base but they had it taken to a furniture shop and paid for assembly. I stepped away to percolate overnight on my next move.The next day, the assembly process required fell into place and might be of use for others.> Placed the seat on a 24″x48″ folding table snug to the wall.> With a large Phillips screwdriver, I loosened the screws holding the seat baseplate to the seat and moved the seat back to the edge of the table.> Held up the chair back upside-down to partially slide the mounting angle under the seat baseplate.> Lifted both the seat and back up so the top of the back was on the table and the seat leaned against the wall.> I leaned into the seat back to push it farther under the seat base. I kept pressure on it as I set the two front hex screws in place and made them finger tight. (Having a log of mass is good for doing this part.)> While still leaning on the seat back, tighten the two screws using the hex wrench, alternating between them to even distribute any pressure until nicely snug but not fully tight.> Set and tightened the other two hex screws snug.> Fully tightened the hex screws at the seat base before fully tightening the other two hex screws.> Tighten the Phillips screws at the rear of the seat base using both hands, followed by the Phillips screws at the front of the seat base.Photo shows an upside-down view seat base with the back attached. After that, it was easy to put the upper chair onto the leg base.For now, this is not chair that adjusts vertically. Not sure how the pneumatic post adjusts when the lever determines whether the seat back tilts or not. The knob under the seat is for tilt tension control although is really doesn’t seem to do anything. Figure the chair height is stuck in place. An extra page on the assembly instructions at the Safco website did not help with this issue. Even tried rotating the chair either direction on a whim for adjustment without succeeding. The chair is usable at the low height but I’d really like it to be higher.I did not call Safco for help given that most help centers are pretty useless.(Update 2019-06-04) Height Adjustment Resolved: Yesterday, I thought briefly on the pneumatic piston for height adjustment of the new chair when I envisioned the lever rotating the blade atop the piston. I realized I was not lifting up on the lever with enough pressure to push the blade down and release the hydraulic piston. Stood up, rotated the lever upward fully and the chair popped right up. Sadly, the operating instructions say nothing about this.(Update 2019-10-06) This morning, I rotated while sitting in the chair and the hydraulic piston failed to hold the position, sinking the chair to the lowest height. I never touched the lever. Now, my knees are above my hips. When I stand up, the chair seat lifts up and when I sit down, the seat sinks to the bottom. I rarely changed the height so I’m frustrated by the failure of the piston. Using a few folded towels towels and a large pillow, I’m sitting at my preferred height. I’ll contact Safco about it. Even if by some chance I get a new piston assembly, separating the old one from the chair base and seat are essentially impossible in the home environment. Thinking I should’ve bought a non-reclining chair with the screw-post height adjustment.
Michael Hasenfratz Sr. –
Beware of “Used Like New”As can be seen by the photos, this product is NOT “Like New”.In addition, installation of the seat back requires the removal of the chair base and the screws barely long enough.
John Quincy Public –
Best chair for big people I’ve ever found.Very sturdy chair with a back that is formed well for good lumbar support. I’ve always gone for “Executive” style chairs but the last one I had was cheaply made. Kept looking at this one, then one day I noticed a “used” one for a absolute steal. Best I can tell is whoever bought it tried to line the screw holes up for the back and seat and decided it was misdrilled, but once you push it hard enough you can get one lined up to start to line up the rest, best if you have a helping hand.My only issue is the padding on the seat is very firm, figured after a month or two it would break in but it hasn’t. Around 2.5 hours of sitting I really need to get up and walk around, but that’s something you should be doing anyway.It doesn’t look fancy but it’s a definite solid build and I enjoy it without arms though you can add it them.
Carol K. –
Very comfortableThis chair is solid! I got an over engineered chair because I knew I was going to be using it a lot in my home office once my position had me working from home almost entirely. It was fairly easy for me to put together on my own, but it is incredibly heavy. Rolling it around is great but if I ever had to lift it, I’d need help for sure. I feel like this chair is going to last many years to come and even after almost a year of using it, it shows no signs of wear. The materials, even the fabric, are really great quality. I’m a bigger gal and I have plenty of room in this chair. It’s very comfortable for all day use.
Moraine Lake –
For Big People – Note my comments on assembly, might assist you.I personally don’t weight 500 pounds… but…. and that’s a big butt….Anyway…. I need a big chair as I am a big guy. I get very uncomfortable in chairs that seem too wobbly. This one is extremely solid and robust. Seems like a 18 wheeler could run it over with no issues.All in all, pretty easy to put together. Thing is, there are a lot of holes drilled in the bottom cushion. Before you try to attach the back of the chair, note where the front of the cushion is pointing. There is a sticker that points this out.However, It takes some real pressure to allow the screw holes on the bottom cushion to line up with the holes on the back cushion. There is a black metal plate on the back cushion that attaches to the bottom cushion. Here lies the challenge in assembly.Try this: put the bottom cushion on the floor, face down. Take the back cushion, orient it right over the drilled holes, and press down as hard as you can on the back cushion. It will take considerable force, but it can be done if you take your time. Get at least one bolt started and then you can release the pressure. Everything else in assembly is straightforward. At first, I thought something was damaged, as the back and bottom cushions just plain did not want to meet up. The wheels take a bit of force too, but once you have them on the bottom, just turn it over and apply downward pressure. The casters will seat into the frame.This is a nice chair, will last for years. It will take the punishment a big person gives unlike the standard office chairs. Worth the cost.
Christopher Godfrey –
Robust, large chair, but assembly not straightforwardI am big and tall, but I’m hoping the 500lb rating on this chair means overbuilt for my needs and lasts for decades. I also added a set of aftermarket heavy-duty polyurethane (rollerblade style) wheels to replace the basic plastic casters that comes with it.I’m not sure why this seat ships with the seat base mechanism fully attached- like other reviewers have mentioned, you need to loosen/remove it to properly align the seat back’s L bracket to it’s mounting holes. Not a problem for any person handy with a large phillips screwdriver, but assembling this with just the supplied hex wrench is going to be frustrating.
Rasalin –
Very Durable, Heavy Duty ChairI ordered the first on of these in 2008. I still have it and it is a little loose from using it every day for 12 years but it still works. I wanted a second one and I ordered that in 2020. It is the exact same chair.These chairs are very strong and oversized. They can hold a lot of weight without the metal wearing out. With most office chairs, the cheap metal eventually fatigues and even breaks. I have had chairs that lasted only a year or two. Not this one. I cannot recommend this chair highly enough and I am glad they still make it.It does take some assembly but a fifth grader could do it. Just follow the diagram, there are not a lot of parts and it comes with a hex key for the 4 hex bolts.If you need a strong, oversized office chair, that can hold up day after day and support a lot of weight, this is it.
GuyInTexas –
Great chair and great customer serviceI bought this chair in December 2021. It has been very sturdy and a great quality chair. In May 2021 one of the casters broke. I emailed the manufacturer inquiring as to whether there was a way I could purchase another caster as the chair is still in great shape and other than that doesn’t need to be replaced yet. The manufacturer replied within 24 hours and said they would send me one for free! Fast forward about a week later and they sent me an entire set of new casters for the chair at no charge so I have extra spares now. Such great customer service and a great quality product. When I eventually need to replace it I will buy the same brand again.
KungFuJosh –
It’s a Chair. I hope it stays that way.I bought this chair to replace a couple other big and tall chairs that didn’t live up to their name. So far, this chair does the job. It’s not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it’s much better than my previous chairs. I hope the chair lasts for years, if not, I’ll update this review.I got the arms too (separately), and they’re a must have for me. I like that they’re adjustable.
Notarat –
Meh…worth 3 starsUPDATED 02/11/2015The vinyl covering started cracking yesterday which makes the chair uncomfortable to sit in for any length of time. I knew this would eventually happen but did not expect it to start cracking this soon.I bought this as my computer chair and, while the seat base is wide enough(more than, actually), it’s just not “deep” enough to deserve 5 stars.Almost every single “office” type chair I’ve ever used has a seat base which extends to a point that it touches the back of my knees. This makes it easy to draw up my legs and sit cross-legged, as I am more comfortable that way. This one does not. This makes it more difficult for me to sit cross-legged on it. It “can” be done, but it’s more due to the fact the vinyl sticks to the bare skin on my feet and holds them in place than the depth of the seat base. If the seat back were adjustable in the fore-aft axis, I could move the seat back rearwards a little to gain the additional 2″ needed for my preferred sitting position, but it is not. It may be possible to drill out additional holes and use a grinder to make the seat back adjustible in the fore/aft axis, but that’s something that should have been done at the factory, not as a weekend garage project.Other than that, it is a well built seat. It’s heavy and made with seriously thick metal parts so it should last. I have read that some people have issues with the pneumatic lift portion going bad but, for me, the seat is at the perfect height when it’s at it’s lowest point so I don’t think I will have to worry about the pneumatics going bad.