My first “real” office chair after a decade of gaming chairs... In depth LiberNovo impressions
Background (you don't need to read this part lol)
Hi Everyone,
I posted a little while back about biting the bullet and spending the money on a good chair. I said I would write a full, proper review of the chair, since I haven't seen many yet. This is going to be detailed, so my apologies for the lengthiness. I want to start off by saying I was successfully converted. I have had my Maxnomic ESL gaming chair for the last 9 years. Yes, seriously, 9 years. I bought it for $140 used at an Esports event when I was in high school, and this chair has followed me throughout college and actually even into my professional career. Recently, I had some whiplash from an accident, and I have had neck pain since. This is when I started really caring about my chair, as I would come back from my office (which has a very crappy chair) and sit in my gaming chair, and things didn't feel right (especially with my neck). I was looking into buying a new chair. The Embody with the Atlas headrest is what I first looked into, in fact I'm fortunate enough to have an HM store near me so I was able to go try it out; however, it would have been around $1800 (after tax and shipping for everything... although I know you can combo the PayPal + Rakuten + Free Shipping/in store + 5% off code and net you're at ~$1300) and that was just a bit too much for me.
I then saw people begin to talk about the LiberNovo, and after watching some reviews and reading into it, I decided to bite the bullet. I purchased it at the beginning of the BF event for $867 with free shipping, which was significantly less than the Embody (I got the 48cm version as I'm 5 feet 10 inches and 190lbs). It arrived pretty quickly, with the footrest arriving first and the chair only a couple of hours behind it (USPS + Fedex). Getting it up the stairs to my office was not impossible, as I found it quite easy to "roll" the box up the stairs; however, opening it up at a ground-floor level and bringing it up piece by piece would probably have been easier.
The unboxing experience is quite funny as you are met with a massive piece of cardboard with the assembly instructions on it, especially since my dad used to always say "RTFM" (if you don't know what this is, look it up lol). The assembly itself is also quite easy. I found the hardest part was slotting the seat in and making sure it was "pushed forward" as you need to put in two bolts, but with a tiny bit of patience, it wasn't too bad. There's also a little rubber "plug" that you have to install, which isn't mentioned in the assembly guide, but it was pretty straightforward to set up once I scanned the QR code. The footrest was super easy and straightforward to set up, so really no comments on that.
Now, for what most people actually care about... is the chair actually good? I think so!
Multiple things really stood out to me with this chair. The biggest one is definitely the headrest (remember I've been having neck issues). It's almost like it's a 3D headrest, as I can move it up and down as well as forward and back. This was super important to me since when I'm sitting up straight and locking in on some work I want the headrest as far forward as possible so my neck isn't what's doing the work, however, when I lean back and I'm trying to watch a youtube video, or something along the lines, being able to push the headrest back really makes a difference and doesn't put your neck/head at a weird angle. Here’s a photo of me “punching” the headrest so you can see how plus it is.
I also really liked the seat cushion; I thought it was going to be less plushy than my gaming chair, although it was quite the opposite. I found it to be super comfortable as it provides a very good plushy "cloud" feeling, and so far has shown no signs of bottoming out. It was such a difference that when I now sit in my gaming chair (I took it to replace the one in my office since that one is horrible), I feel like that one is hard!
The titling/recline mechanism also deserves a mention. I feel like the 1st mode (most up right) is perfect for locking in (like I mentioned earlier), the second mode perfect for some gaming (more FPS/competitive style), third is perfect for lounging (I’ve been really enjoying this for RDR2), and the fourth/most reclined is perfect for when you decide it’s time to doom scroll for a bit or want to relax. I also really like the tactile feedback of the recline “switch” (not quite sure what to call it), it’s not super important, but I thought it was a nice touch given that I spent a good amount of money on this chair.
The lumbar support is also incredible. I thought I was always going to have it at the lowest setting, but I quickly found out that that isn't the case for my body. I can actually feel the "weight" being lifted from my lower back, the higher I bring up the support (until I find the spot that's just right), which is very relieving, and I think it's one of the best parts of the motorized system.
I also thought that the footrest was going to be a waste of money (but I've always wanted one of those under-desk hammock thingies for your feet), but I actually found it quite nice. I always leave my feet on the slightly elevated part, and when I fully recline backwards, it's really nice to be able to rest my feet on the top part. My only complaint with it is that I feel like the cushion on the footrest is not enough, and when I'm not wearing socks after ~20 or so minutes, I find myself moving my feet around and wishing that I had a little more cushion. Not the end of the world, but definitely worth noting. Here’s me “punching” the footrest so you can compare it to the headrest.
Much less than the headrest as you can see
I also found the armrests to be pretty good. Again, my reference is a gaming chair whose armrests were already peeling and cracking. I didn't feel like I would sink into them, but also didn't feel like I had a rock pressing against my forearms. It also turns out I have never adjusted my armrest correctly. I used to always have it below my desk so I could slot my chair in once I was done with it, but the little manual they included, which showed you at which height to have it, quickly changed that. I found typing to be much less wearing, and my forearms/arms felt "less tired," probably because I wasn't actually doing the work and holding them up anymore. I guess a quick google search could have given me the information I needed to adjust the armrests, but it was still greatly appreciated by me.
Some Kinks I found with the chair.
Now, some things I don't like (although there really aren't many). The armrest lets you angle them in towards yourself, which is really good for typing; however, I wish I could angle them outwards more since sometimes when I'm playing games, I like to really move my mouse pad to the right. Again, a picky comment, but still worth noting. I'm also a bit worried about the lumbar support being electronic, as that could degrade over time, but I think that is part of what makes this chair very good and allows a user to find the perfect spot for the lumbar support.
In addition, I feel like if you're greater than around 6 feet and 2 inches in height, the seat might be a little short. One of my friends (who is that height) sat in it and said he loved everything about it, but wished the seat cushion were a bit longer. On the other side, my girlfriend and father, who are both shorter than I am, both really liked their first experience in the chair, with my girlfriend saying she felt "super supported." So maybe there's some room for improvement if you're an extra-tall person.
Next, I found that the lumbar massage didn't give me all that I wanted from it. I did find myself using it, especially after a long day of lifting heavy boxes, and it would feel quite nice, but I wished it could push even higher and give me a larger stretch. If you're on the shorter side, you probably won't have this issue, but it's worth mentioning in my opinion.
You can stop reading now.
Ultimately, I'm extremely happy with the chair so far. I think it was a super solid purchase, and my back and neck have already been feeling the benefits, and I'm happy I spent the money. I was initially in the group of people who were worried about the electronic side of the chair, but I actually think that it's super helpful; I also purchased the chair with a Visa Signature card, which extends the warranty for products (Visa will pay for repairs, etc). I think some minor things can be improved, but overall, it's definitely worth the price, and I am strongly debating buying one for my office and just getting rid of the gaming chair altogether (and the crappy one that they gave me).
If anyone has any questions about my experience with the chair (or you want more punching photos), please just write a comment about it, and I'll do my best to get to it. Hope this helps!
PS: A special thank you to all in this community who helped me realize that gaming chairs are crappy.
Posted Dec 4, 2025, 9:40 PM UTC