Herman Miller Cosm vs Steelcase Leap V2: Which Should You Buy?

Intercept Suspension vs the LiveBack Backrest

The Cosm’s seat and back form one surface. Herman Miller calls it Intercept Suspension, a continuous elastomeric suspension that removes the gap between seat and back, and it is also what supplies the Cosm’s lumbar support. The seat is 20.5 inches wide, and the chair comes in low-back, mid-back and high-back versions.

The Leap V2 pairs its seat with Steelcase’s LiveBack backrest, 18 inches wide and 25 inches tall, and the Natural Glide System recline. Its seat is 19.25 inches wide, about an inch narrower than the Cosm’s. Seat upholstery and materials for the Leap V2 are not listed.

Seat Depth, Arms, and Fit

Seat depth separates the two chairs most clearly. The Leap V2’s seat slides so the distance from the backrest to the front edge can be matched to leg length. The Cosm’s seat pan is fixed at 15.9 inches and has no depth adjustment.

The arms follow the same pattern. The Leap V2’s 4D arms adjust on four axes, with height running 7 to 11 inches. The Cosm comes in four arm options, from no arms to Leaf arms, and Herman Miller publishes only a height range of 7.3 to 11.7 inches for them.

A buyer whose legs suit a 15.9-inch seat and who sets a chair once gives up little with the Cosm. A household where several people share one chair, or a buyer who wants to change the fit over time, gets more settings from the Leap V2.

Lumbar and Recline Approach

The Cosm’s lumbar support comes from Intercept Suspension and is passive, without height or firmness control. Its Auto-Harmonic Tilt is automatic and has neither a tension dial nor a recline lock. Herman Miller says the tilt “automatically provides balanced support and movement”.

The Leap V2’s LiveBack carries a lumbar that moves up and down, with a separate dial for firmness. Its recline has a 5-position tilt lock and tension control, so the sitter decides how far the back goes and how much force it takes to lean.

A buyer who wants to place lumbar support at a specific height and lock the recline will find those controls on the Leap V2 only. A buyer who would leave the lumbar and recline controls alone gives up little on those two points by choosing the Cosm.

Which Chair Fits Your Body

The Cosm’s fixed 15.9-inch seat suits shorter femurs better than long ones, and a sitter with long thighs has no way to extend it. Its seat height starts at 14.8 inches, below the Leap V2’s 16-inch minimum.

The Leap V2’s sliding seat gives longer legs a setting the Cosm cannot offer, and its 400-pound weight capacity is 50 pounds above the Cosm’s 350. The Cosm’s fit advantages sit at the shorter end: the lower minimum seat height and the shallow fixed pan.

Price, and the Remanufactured Option

New, the Leap V2 on Amazon costs roughly a quarter less than the mid-back Cosm’s Herman Miller direct reference figure. Crandall also sells a remanufactured Leap V2 for a little over half the new Amazon price, and Crandall’s remanufactured chairs carry a 12-year warranty covering parts for the original owner.

Crandall does not remanufacture the Cosm, so the Cosm option on this page is a new chair configured at Herman Miller. The Leap V2 costs less both new and remanufactured.

Where to Buy and What Is Covered

Both chairs carry a 12-year warranty. The Cosm’s is a 12-year, 3-shift warranty with limited exceptions, and it holds only when the chair is bought through Herman Miller or an authorized reseller. Steelcase’s Limited Lifetime warranty covers the new Leap V2 for 12 years and is rated for 24/7 use.

Buying the Cosm direct from Herman Miller lets the buyer choose the back height and arm option before it ships. The new Leap V2 is sold on Amazon, and the remanufactured Leap V2 comes from Crandall with Crandall’s own 12-year parts warranty.