Alera ALEEL42ME10B Elusion Series Mesh Mid-Back Multifunction Chair - Black

Alera’s Elusion is one NICE chair, and is a purchase I could not be happier with. This mid-back mesh task chair blends the comfort of a larger office chair with the more compact form factor of a task chair, resulting in a multi-purpose chair that is well made, comfortable, capable of considerable user customization, and affordable. This is a chair I highly recommend.-------------------------------------------------WHY I BOUGHT THIS CHAIRI had the same task chair for like a decade+. I decided it was time for a replacement and purchased an entry-level Merax chair. At this point in time, my primary criteria was a low price because I would not use the chair frequently, so I figured I would save a bit here and spend it elsewhere.I kid you not three days after I got the chair my situation changed to where I may sit in this chair for 8+ hours a day working from home. The chair I bought was by no means a bad product, but it was an economy product and it did not have all the features I wanted for something I would spend that much time in. I have back issues so if I am sitting long-term in ANY chair, I need to be able to adjust it to my needs. So in the end, I wound up spending more money, which is my fault.-------------------------------------------------WHY ALERA?If you search “task chair” or “mesh office chair” on Amazon, you will notice that most of the products available are not very well rated, and the ones which are command quite a price. This Alera represents the ‘middle-of-the-road’ tier. It has many of the features of pricier chairs, but is much more affordable. If you search “Alera chair” on Amazon, you will also notice that Alera’s name in general is pretty highly regarded and most Consumers are happy with their Alera chairs.After noticing the above to things, I figured Alera was a pretty safe bet for brand, and after reading User Reviews on various Alera chairs, I figured the Elusion was the chair best suited to me.-------------------------------------------------THE ELUSIONThe Elusion is a mid-level, “mid-back” model offered by Alera. Technically this type of chair is a multifunctional task chair since it has some design features from a pure task chair, and others from a larger office chair. It results in a hybrid design in which you get a more compact form factor than you do with a larger office chair, but a little more comfort than you would get with a pure task chair.The seat is made from a woven nylon and padded fabric, and the backrest is mesh with lumbar support. The armrests are removable, adjustable, and padded.The 5-spoke base is extra wide, the spokes are extra thick, and the large 2-in casters are heavy duty. Like most chairs, assembly is required. The instructions are easy to follow (and come with the needed hex tools) so you won’t have any issue here.If you are interested in the formal specs:--Distance between arms: 24" to 25-5/8"--Arm height from seat: 6-3/4" to 9-1/4"--Overall size: 26"D x 25-5/8"W x 42-7/8"H--Seat size: 21"D x 20-1/2"W x 22-3/8"H--Back size: 20-1/8"W x 22-7/8"H--Chair weight: 47 lbs.--Chair max weight capacity: 250 lbs.--Warranty: 5-yearThe amounts of adjustments this chair can make are impressive. You can adjust:--Seat height--Seat angle--Back angle--Forward tilt--Tilt tension--Armrest width/length--Armrest height--Sliding seat (moves forward or backwards)--Backrest height(Don’t worry…it comes with easy to follow instructions on how to use each function.)-------------------------------------------------WHAT I LIKEThe moment I picked the box up I had a feeling this chair was quality. Its overall weight is more than twice that of the chair I replaced with this Alera, even though they are the same size.After a quick and easy setup, I sat in the chair and loved the comfort. It took about 10 minutes to get all of the settings to where I want them, but once I did this chair was PERFECTLY set to provide me with the best comfort and back support. Has this reduced my back pain? ABSOLUTELY!With so many individual adjustments this chair can make, it puts it in a class of comfort that very few products in this price range can match. By allowing this many adjustments, it allows the user to customize the fitment/settings so that the chair is most comfortable for that individual’s needs and preferences. Most chairs in this price range do no have this capability. In fact, most mesh office chairs that are twice the price of the Elusion do not have this many individual adjustments. And even if you cannot sit in this chair before buying, you can rest assured that you will be able to adjust the settings to where this chair gives you excellent comfort and support.The construction is beefy. The chair is heavy, the hardware is robust, the padding is robust, and the back support is connected using metal (rather than plastic) hardware. Based on this construction and the 5-year warranty, my guess is that this chair will last me a very long time.Like other mesh chairs, the use of mesh on the back support is not only very comfortable, but it also allows your back to breathe. This helps avoid the ever-awful backsweat that can accumulate when sitting in something like a leather seat given it traps heat/moisture, where is the mesh maintains good airflow and keeps your back cool. And thanks to the backrest’s mesh design, the Elusion has some of the best spinal support on any chair I have ever sat in.-------------------------------------------------WHAT I DO NOT LIKEI literally have no complaints. With the price I paid, I am floored how much quality, comfort, and features I got.One thing I think would be neat to see in the future though would be the option to purchase this chair in a few different colors. A dark-dark navy would match my office a little better, although this is a pretty minor detail.-------------------------------------------------CONCLUSIONI really wish I skipped the economy chair and went straight to this Alera. This is not the cheapest chair on the market, but it’s also far from the priciest. The overall pricing is extremely reasonable given the build quality and the adjustment features. Consider this as an investment in comfort (and an investment towards less back pain.)The Elusion is a great chair and I highly recommend it.

I received the chair in four days and two of those days were weekend days. I chose the Free Super Saver shipping. I live in an out of the way rural area and it usually takes 2 days from town. That is the best delivery time I have ever had for an Amazon order in 19 years. That's saying alot since I have only been unhappy once in those 19 years with shipping time.I unpacked the box. All the parts were there, nothing was damaged. The 'instructions' aren't great, but they aren't poor. They are just pictures so its harder to tell if the chair is assembled correctly and there are no helpful hints. I had some minor problems getting the chair-back on, but after fiddling with the chair and back adjustments, taking the arms off, and asking my husband to put it on it only took a few minutes.This is the most adjustable chair I have ever owned. I researched chairs with the same functionality and the cheapest, even mediocre reviewed chair was in the mid $700's. Since its my first chair with these adjustments, I cannot offer experience with this quality of chair, and it is a quality chair. However, I can tell you in 60 seconds if its not going to work ergonomically because I have alot of experience with bad chairs. I have been to urgent care with seized muscles, had muscles deteriorate and been in alot of pain. This is a good chair. I work from home, do the finances, and run a business out of my office. I spend 16-18 hours a day five days a week, and 8-10 hours on the weekend in my desk chair. I not only compared online prices, functionality and reviews, I drove around to many stores and sat in every chair I found.From the moment I first sat in it, I knew it was the best office chair I had ever sat it even though I spent 20 years in corporate America with firms that had high incidents of carpal tunnel and were always replacing chairs, desk set-ups etc. to try and reduce the incidents. Every time I sit down in it, I spontaneously utter 'Ahhhh'.I have only been sitting in the chair for about 6 hours, but my whole body feels better. I am 5'9" and I usually have to sit towards the front of the chair with my back unsupported, even with chairs that say they have lumbar support. Not with this one.This is a good chair and certainly the most bang for my buck that I have ever found in an office chair. I am very happy with my purchase.

This is the best office chair I have ever used. The seat is very comfortable, is wide and confirms to the bottom. The back can be adjusted to fit any height or preference.

I've had the chair for several weeks now. There was one glitch in the assembly. Step 3 is attaching the backrest post to the backrest. The illustration for this step, particularly the locations of the three bolt holes in the post, is misleading. I had to call Alera's support line to make sure I was trying to put the bolt in the correct hole. The support person was very helpful and knew what I was talking about. The chair itself is very comfortable and supportive. It can be adjusted in multiple ways to suit your body type. It doesn't roll as well as I had hoped on my low-pile carpet, and I may eventually get a floor mat. Otherwise, I am very satisfied with this chair.

The chair itself is good. The assembly instructions could be slightly better, one minor point of confusion led me to abandon assembly until the next day.Also, the chair claims to have a five year warranty, although no instructions on registering for the warranty or, indeed, how to make a warranty claim are anywhere in the package, no website provided etc.