New Fractal Design Refine 2 Fabric Light ($640) — Chair with 11 Recline Positions

Fractal Design’s new Refine 2 Fabric Light office chair features fabric upholstery and updated ergonomics. The backrest and seat recline in unison, with tilt angles reaching up to 125°. It includes a two-panel adjustable lumbar support and a memory foam headrest.

The core of the Fractal Design Refine 2 Fabric Light’s design is its revamped ergonomics, informed by modern seating research, according to Fractal. The real benefit shines through during recline, thanks to the Donati Dynamic synchro-mechanism. It moves the seat and backrest together, mirroring your body’s natural movement. This keeps your back supported by the backrest and maintains your posture. You can adjust the rocking tension and lock the chair in one of 11 positions, or let it rock freely.

You can adjust the seat height from 490 to 610 mm, and slide the seat depth between 425–500 mm. The 4D armrests adjust vertically (140–250 mm range), horizontally (in/out), and can pivot. The distance between them spans 430–560 mm. The headrest height is adjustable, and you can remove it with the press of a button.

The frame is reinforced with fiberglass, and the base is aluminum. It uses a Class 4 gas lift with a 120 mm stroke. Cold foam fills the seat and backrest, topped with fabric upholstery. The 65 mm hub-less casters have soft PU wheels and steel bearings. The whole chair weighs 26.5 kg.

Fractal recommends this chair for users between 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) and 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall, weighing between 60 kg (132 lbs) and 135 kg (298 lbs). For context, the previous generation had a 125 kg limit. The lumbar support is integrated into the backrest and adjusts 110 mm in height and 20 mm in depth. The chair holds EN1335-1 Type C and BIFMA X5.1 certifications.

You can already find the chair on Amazon for $639.99 in gray (SKU FD-CH-RE2F-02). The box includes the seat, backrest, base, headrest, and an accessory kit. Assembly is required, but a hex key is provided. Fractal offers a 5-year warranty on mechanical parts and a 3-year warranty on the upholstery.

Friends, write in the comments what you think of the new model and what you’d like to know in the review — I’ll try to answer everything.

My main focus for the Refine 2 review will be its ergonomic evolution: does the synchro-mechanism keep your back straight even after a long session, just like it does initially? I’ll also be testing the dual-panel lumbar support and 4D armrests hands-on. This kind of mechanism is easy to claim but difficult to implement without wobble. I’ve reached out to Fractal for a sample. Once it arrives, I’ll spend a full work week in it and report back.

Source: Fractal