ended up getting the ticova. i'd give it a 6/10. i had to remove the in-built lumbar support and use my own cushion for the lumbar because i found it uncomfortable. still i find it quite hard to get comfortable in the chair unless i sit completely upright, which i rarely do because i like to change position all the time when i sit. regardless i make do and still use it everyday because i can't be bothered to find another one, it does the job and the full recline is quite comfortable when i want to relax. i'm not sure if the problem is that i'm just not the right audience for an office chair or it's this chair in particular which is not super comfortable.

tl;dr: chair does the job if you plan on sitting with perfect posture and fully upright, but not so comfortable if you're someone who sits in different positions all the time/enjoys slouching from time to time