For years, the leather executive office chair has been portrayed as the epitome of class, success, prestige, and wealth. Look at just about any TV show or movie that features an office figure who is admired and admired, and note what kind of chair they’re sitting in. The vast majority of the time the chair they are sitting in is a leather office chair. Even just imagining a leather office chair, the first person that comes to mind when I think about who would be sitting in it would be a high-powered executive. Although notoriously respectable and sought after, leather office chairs, like any other type of chair, have advantages and disadvantages.

One of the main advantages of having a leather office chair over a chair with a cloth material is the ease of maintenance. Leather upholstery is generally easy to maintain and can be cleaned simply by wiping it with a clean, damp cloth. Applying a special leather cleaner every six months also maintains the overall appearance of the chair. If maintained carefully, a good quality leather-upholstered chair will develop its own patina to give your chair a distinctive appearance as it matures and ages.

In addition to being easy to maintain, leather office chairs also give off an aura of prestige and power. Leather chairs not only give off an aura of power, but they also look great and are appropriate in any business setting, whether at work or at home. Some leather office chair manufacturers also offer a variety of custom color upholstered options so those who want a more unique chair can purchase that green leather office chair they’ve been dying to get. Although around 90% of leather office chairs that are produced typically come in the standard black color, with white and burgundy coming in second and third in color popularity.

One problem that some people seem to find with leather is the tendency to make clothing shine, especially for those who wear expensive clothing or business suits to work. You may find that your clothes wear out faster than before if you were sitting in a cloth or mesh chair.

If you work in an office that does not have air conditioning or is very hot, especially during the summer months, your leather office chair may cause you to sweat and perspire excessively. However, some premium leathers come with a breathable finish that will help reduce or even eliminate this problem.

One big drawback that isn’t necessarily the chairs’ fault, is that people are tricked into buying chairs that are advertised as cheap leather office chairs. They think they are getting an unbelievable bargain price when in reality really cheap chairs with leather upholstery are always going to be a compromise, oftentimes they are made from very low quality scraps and scraps of leather that have been pieced together to cover the chair. This leather can be thin and brittle, meaning the meat won’t last long and will start to tear over time.

As mentioned above, with any chair or really any product, there are pros and cons. Whether you can trade off the positives for the negatives is ultimately your decision, but more importantly, as a general rule of thumb, if a chair sounds too good to be true, it probably is.