How do I buy and office chair? What is a good office chair? What is the best office chair? What is the best ergonomic desk chair? These are all questions we get asked every from our customers. Below is a short little desk chair buying guide to help you get started.
1. Don’t buy a cheap crappy office chair.
I repeat don’t buy a cheap crappy office chair. You know it when you see it. If you are going to invest a little extra money on your office, do it on a decent office chair. A painful back, sore hind end, and a trip back to the wholesale club in six months aren’t worth saving $200. If your budget is really tight, (we get it) look for a showroom floor closeout, or something gently used. Get that great chair, for the crappy office chair price.
2. Don’t spend too much on an office chair.
That being said you don’t have to buy an $800-$1000 chair to find comfort. Make a list of all the activities you will be doing at the chair and for how long each day. The amount of time you sit, stand, or just stare at a chair can justify how much you should spend. There is a lot of options between $250-$500.
3. Form does not always follow function.
Just because a chair looks sweet on the internet doesn’t mean it’s a good chair. That uber-modern chair might actually feel like you’re sitting on a pile of bricks. Similarly, grandpa passes out in that old Archie bunker chair every time he sits in it. Grandpa is no dummy. You don’t have to sacrifice looking good for comfort and vice-versa. See the next point.
4. Kick the tires.
If you have a showroom in your area, go and take advantage of it. Test out a few different types of chairs. Many of our customers come into the showroom thinking they wanted one model of chair only to purchase a different model. Chairs can be like a pair of pants. There are thousands of models on the market just like there are different body types, sizes and requirements.
5. Learn how to use it.
Learn how to adjust the desk chair properly. There are a lot of You Tube videos demonstrating the different ergonomic adjustments a chair has to offer. Manufacturers spend a lot of time developing features so a chair can adjust to different body types. The goal is to allow one chair to accommodate the bodies of most humans with a few adjustments. Don’t spend six months sitting in a chair you think it too short for you only to realize the seat pan expands, and back height raises. The adjustments are there, use them.
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