My first impression after opening the huge box was more than positive. It looks like a masterpiece from a designer shop. The quality of fabrication is really high and it feels very robust. I was also pleased by the overall appearance of the special wave-like shape. The feeling of the synthetic leather was great. ZenByDesign claims that this is the best synthetic leather in the world. I don't know anything about that, but I definitely understand the choice of synthetic over real leather. This leather feels like nothing can break it and damaging it would be really challenging. It might be possible if you are into metal nails, SM underwear and stuff but otherwise I trust it stays good for many years. The positive of that leather is that it cannot be stained. Blood, melted chocolate, whipped cream, massage oil, you name it. Just have fun and don't think about it. The cleaning is a breeze. Hot water and that's it.
The Tantra Chair sits very well protected in its box, surrounded by big pieces of foam. Taking the Tantra Chair out of its huge box (some 2 meters long and 70 cm high) is easier if you put the box on the side and put a carpet next to it to avoid any damage to the leather when you pull the chair out. Then I only had to screw the 4 feet, turning it around, and the Tantra Chair was ready to use. Note that the female screws on the bottom of the Tantra Chair allow to replace the feet provided by others of different style or different height. I didn't try tough since I found the ones provided perfect for us.
Moving the Tantra Chair around and to its final position is easier than I thought initially. This is due to the relatively low weight (45 kg) given the size of the Tantra Chair. The obvious way to move it around is to hold it on person on each end, but I found an even easier method : I take it alone on my back and I am free to move around and up and down the stairs easily. This method is especially useful in relatively small spaces where two persons are struggling. It's hard to believe that it can be easier to carry it alone, but it is. I will post an explanation of my technique if someone is interested.
Despite its relatively low weight, the Tantra Chair feels very solid, I don't think two fat people could break it even if they would jump on it simultaneously. Not that I am fat, or that I would try, but I never heard any noise from the structure suggesting a weakness.
After installing the Tantra Chair in its final position and play with it a little bit on my own, I immediately noticed that I needed to put some rubber under the feets to avoid it to slip. My room has wooden floor and the feet has a plastic pastille that makes the chair quite slippery on wood and tiles (it won't move on carpets). If you have hard floor, you need to put something under these feets to avoid slipping.
I was just so excited and amazed by this piece of furniture from this very beginning. Only minus of this first experience with the Tantra Chair : I didn't find any user's manual or position guide in the box. You can find them online but it would have been nice to have a paper version.
I will be coming shortly with A LOT more. Stay tuned.
Chris
