The back is not very padded; it's not a hard uncomfortable back but it's not padded like I hoped. The pleather is okay but it isn't smooth...it's more of a bumpy finish kind of pleather. The mechanism seems pretty good. It's the only chair I could find like this with four legs so I wanted to try it; it is quite stable. The welds are not very pretty...I question how long they will last. 

Pros: Stable base and super easy to assemble 
Cons: Ugly welds, back isn't padded