Steelcase Think vs Amia: Which one is best?

steelcase think vs amia

The Steelcase Think is a chair that can sense what your body needs and then adjust to provide comfort and support whenever you move or your posture changes. 

This chair is ideal for the person that sits all day.

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  • Back mesh and Connect seat fabric are 100% polyester
  • Wheels for hard flooring
  • Ergonomic chair – this stool height model includes adjustable seat depth, fully adjustable arms, adjustable lumbar, pneumatic seat height adjustment, recline tension adjustment, flexing back with...
  • All day comfort and back support – back technology features flexor system in the backrest conforms to your body and moves with you to support the spine as you change postures

The Steelcase Amia make use of LiveLumbar technology where a system of flexors moves with your body for dynamic and consistent support.

This versatile chair, suited for various work environments, also focuses on comfort for long working hours with a chick look.

To make the best choice, the two chairs should be measured against various features. Let’s have a look at the features we will compare:

Breaking it down

For buyers to make the best choice, we will compare11 features of both chairs and look at pros and cons for each before drawing a final conclusion.

Weight

When it comes to the weight of an office chair, the single most benefit of a lighter chair is its movability. 

The Think weighs in at 36 lbs.

The Amia weighs an astonishing 54,5 lbs.

When it comes to selecting the more movable chair, the Think is the clear winner.

Seating 

Seating comfort and adjustability are of the utmost importance as the build and weight of people vary quite extensively and should be able to cater for a broad spectrum of people. 

With the Think, the seating is comfortable and has a flexible seat edge that automatically releases pressure as you move on your thighs.

The adjustable seat depth is a great feature. The seat height has 6 adjustment settings and is more suitable for taller people.

The seat width is 28.5 inches.

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  • All day comfort and back support – back technology features an innovative geometric design; weight-activated tilt mechanism responds automatically as you sit and move to ensure long-term support

The seating of the Amia has a waterfall design that reduces pressure on the thighs and thus promotes blood circulation. 

The seat height can also be adjusted in 6 settings and the depth of the seat can also be adjusted to fit the body of the user. It supplies a seat width of 26.625 inches.

The seating comparison is a close tie.  For the bigger person, the Think may be the preferred choice.

Armrests

The purpose of an armrest is to provide support for your arms and hands, keeping them relaxed and easing muscle tension.

You can get the Think in armless, fixed arms or adjustable arms, depending on your preference.

The armrests can adjust up, down, in and out.

The Amia has upholstered leather arm caps that are height-adjustable. It can also be ordered as an armless chair.

The arm adjustments include height, width, depth and pivot adjustments for maximum comfort.

In comparison, both of these chairs have excellent armrest support and closely tie each other in this category, but the Amia wins because of the additional pivot function.

Back support

Excellent back support is essential to help avoid slouching in a chair and prevent your muscles from getting tired.

Without lumbar back support, your spine and muscles work harder to support the proper alignment of the spine and maintain a correct posture.

Back tension and back recline can both be adjusted with the Think by a single control.

The sliding lumbar support gives additional support to your lower back muscles and can be adjusted up or down.

In the lowest position, lumbar support is disengaged. Initially, the plastic back may be slightly harder than a padded one.

The Amia has very good back support and provides excellent backrest.  It is pretty high back and is quite flexible with the plastic on top. 

The chair is fitted with the life lumbar technology with multiple flex points. 

This results in consistent and dynamic back support.

It also has adjustable back tension for more or less resistance.

Closely matched in comparison, the Amia and Think both provide excellent support and the personal winner may be simply a matter of taste.

However, the Amia seems to be slightly ahead of the Think to prevent back pain.

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  • Weight-activated mechanism provides support in proportion to your own body weight, while keeping you oriented to your work
  • Back flexors track with the natural movement of your spin and are individually contoured to provide optimum support for each area of the back
  • Arms telescope in and out, move forward and back, pivot and adjust up and down so you can find a natural position that comfortably supports your needs
  • Think chair was conceived, developed and produced for maximum sustainability and is 98% recyclable and can be disassembled in about five minutes

Reclining

The purpose of having a reclining feature in an office chair is to provide the ability to stretch your back and adjust your body from time to time when you spend long hours sitting in an unnatural position with a poor posture.

The Think is designed to push back against the body and therefore, it does not recline that easily. 

The recline function can be set to 4 different positions and provide excellent stability for the back.

With the Amia, the recline function is almost too easy to push back and makes it quite easy to slouch.

The recline can only be locked in the upright position. and it adds to an extra stretch of the back muscles every now and then.

When setting the Think or the Amia to the reclined position, the Think wins this category.

Variety of upholstery materials

When it comes to the selection of upholstery material in a chair, it is important to take into account durability, comfort and style to suit the office or home environment where it will be used.

With the Think, translucent 3D knit materials are used for the back that creates breathability. 

When it comes to upholstery, you can choose from a variety of 14 colours in Designtex fabrics, leathers and vinyls. 

A great option is to make use of custom materials. This complements the professional and sophisticated design of the Think.

The Amia can be ordered in standard, sewn and mesh materials. 

However, the padded back is not as breathable as mesh, but mesh is not an option.

The choice of fabric seldom if ever delivers a clear winner for this is a very personal choice and will be determined by style requirements and budget of the buyer for both the home or the office.

However, when it comes to having more options, the Think is the winner.

Warranty

A warranty on an office chair is almost essential as the office or individual spends a lot of money for a good product and expects it to last for a substantial time. 

When something goes wrong, it is good to have a warranty in place.

The Steelcase warranty is the strongest in this industry.

Both the Think and the Amia are covered by the Americas Limited Lifetime Warranty that warrants their products are free from any defects in material and also guarantees the workmanship. 

The warranty becomes valid from the date of delivery. 

After-sales service

Even a wonderful product can become a disappointment if there is no after-sales service.

The Steelcase products are sold by carefully selected resellers and dealers to maintain their brand’s reputation.

They also assist with workplace surveys to determine the correct options to solve the needs of the business. 

Maintenance and installation services for various products are available. With excellent web-based tools, procurement of furniture is streamlined.

Buyers rating

On Amazon.com, you can see honest feedback from customers who bought either the Steelcase Think or the Amia.

The Think gets an average rating of 3,6 out of 5 while 46% of the users gave it a 5-star rating.

For the Amia, the rating is 4,5 with a whopping 76% of customers giving it that confident 5 reviews.

It is a no-brainer that the Amia is a clear winner in this category.

Our rating

We rate the Think at a 4,2 and the Amia at a 4,5 out of a total of 5.

Price

When buying an office chair, the price will be a factor for both the employer or the individual.  At Steelcase, the price for Think is $949 USD while the Amia is priced at $823 USD, a difference of $126 USD.

The moment you start adding features, the situation changes again and you have to compare by features added.

So when it comes to the price comparison, the Amia is the winner because it is less expensive while still providing excellent quality.

Pros and Cons

Let’s look at a few pros and cons in table form to help us with the comparison.

THINK Pros Cons
  • It has an advanced weight-activated system
  • Various adjustable features, making it customizable
  • The integrated live-back system moves with you when reclining.
  • This is the first carbon-neutral product, extremely beneficial to the environment.
  • Comfort dials with four different settings.
  • The lumbar support is not so prominent.
  • The 400 pounds weight limit is unexpected.
AMIA Pros Cons
  • The advanced synchro-tilt lock and tension adjustment mechanism adds stability  and comfort to the chair.
  • The adjustable backrest provides much-needed support for the user.
  • The chair is extremely comfortable.
  • It offers a limited recline angle between 90 and 126 degrees.
  • The non-breathable backrest may result in sweating on warmer days.
  • Relatively expensive
  • The tilt lock only works in the upright position.

Final Verdict

The Think is an extremely versatile task chair with excellent adjustable lumbar support and built-in tilt safety features. 

Additional adjustable features provide for a customised experience.

For the price, it offers exceptional value and performs well as an office chair.

The Amia, on the other hand, is the more comfortable chair. The thicker seat and a more comfortable back are perfect when working long hours.

It is also more reasonably priced and has excellent resale value. 

When in conclusion, we ask if the Steelcase Think or the Amia is the winner, the Amia walks away with the accolades.