With its Freedom chair, Humanscale takes a little different approach to seating, eschewing the usual, complicated knobs and levers for a more easygoing, natural approach to fit and function.

The Freedom looks and feels big, likely because of its headrest, a feature most chairs in this category don't include. If your desk chair doesn't include a headrest, you don't know what you're missing. I found myself reclining and kicking back -- the Freedom reclines practically as far as a La-Z-Boy -- periodically throughout the day... and loving it (maybe a little too much).

And despite its size, the Freedom is deceptively light and maneuverable, weighing less than 40 pounds and letting you easily swivel and scoot around your work area. The reason for the light weight is the lack of "adjustments." Rather, Humanscale features a series of "settings," as it calls them, on the Freedom. You move the seat up and down and the base in and out, and that's about it. The headrest also moves up and down with a pull (much like your car's headrest might work). Best of all are the armrests, which move up and down with a simple flick of the wrist. It's amazing how easy it is to get them out of the way when you want to scoot up close to your desk. With a simple flick of the wrists they slide all the way down to seat level. Just pull them back up when you need them and they automatically latch back into place.

My complaints are fairly minimal. Pushing your whole back up against the chair and then reclining can feel a little claustrophobic, as your middle back goes further into the seat than the base of the back or your head, making it feel a little like you're being swallowed up. And while this is available as an option, the armrests on my sample chair didn't swivel, leaving them spaced a little too wide for extended use.

Available in scads of textile colors, fabric materials, and frame colors (there are three different grades of leather available alone), outfitting and pricing a Freedom could occupy the better part of an afternoon. Prices range wildly, from $1,180 to $2,750; my demo chair ran about $1.400. And then you can consider additional options like a gel seat cushion or an adjustable foot ring.

Bottom line: If you're looking for a simple chair with uncomplicated, intuitive controls, classy styling, and a comfortable fit, the Freedom is an exceptional choice.