You get what you pay for...
...consequently I was prepared to pay a higher price, but not outrageously high. It's a lesson learned in buying tools and musical instruments (cheap often begets cheap). What attracted my attention to this product was a reviewer's comment that he owned one for 12 years and was only buying another one because of some cosmetic damaged incurred by use. The return on investment is what I'm looking forward to. Physically, this chair appears to be designed for the big and tall. I am about 5' 10", and the lowest chair height just fits; any higher and it would be uncomfortable. The tilt works only if you assembled it correctly. My son and his wife assembled it together in a short amount of time before I got home from work, and the first thing I checked for was the tilt. Fortunately, a reviewer (maybe even for a totally different chair) pointed out if the seat is installed backwards onto the pedestal, the tilt function is rendered useless. The seat bottom and pedestal are clearly marked 'Front' if you are paying attention. I was able to quickly dismount/remount the seat and everything worked fine. The control handle is mutli-function (it changes function when pulled out or pushed in). In one mode the handle controls the chair height; in the other mode, it enables the tilt lock and also releases it to allow tilting. The maximum tilt angle is sufficient but not extreme. I have found that switching the handle from one mode to the other is not a real 'positive' action, I have to fiddle around with it to settle into the correct position, as well as the fact that I can never remember which position does what (but that's my problem, not the product's). The good news is that there is only 2 possibilities. Overall I am please with the quality of materials and workmanship, although the product images I've seen on all websites have enhanced the plushness of the stuffing, kind of like a Cosmopolitan Magazine Cover photo-shopped retouching. But it is not outlandishly far from the actual product (although I would have seriously loved the amount of cushioning portrayed by the image). Obviously the marketing department did what it was supposed to do, make the product as appealing as they can.
I like my chair. I typically spend several hours most evenings in my chair using the computer, practicing my bass guitar, or watching TV. It is a comfortable chair, not like the torture rack cheapy it replaced. I love sitting back in it to lounge and watch TV. I give high marks for this chair.