Ergonomic Chair – Which is right for you?

     Ergonomic chair is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot. Primarily because it is a very searched for term.  Its popularity has lead to many advertisers throwing the term ergonomic on every office chair they carry, regardless of whether the office chair has any adjustments for functions.

The definition of Ergonomic, is “an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely”

What that really means in terms of a chair is that the chair is made in a way that it fits your unique body type and work style.  When picking an Ergonomic chair for an office with many people of different body types it is important to pick a heavy duty chair with a variety of adjustments.  This allows the ergonomic chair to be adjusted to fit different body types and work styles.

Someone who is 4’4″ tall and 125 lbs has different ergonomic needs than someone who is 6’4″ and 300 lbs.  When a client asks, “What is your best ergonomic chair?”, or “What ergonomic chairs to you have at a certain price point?”  My first question is “Why are you specifically looking for an ergonomic chair?” 

The answer is usually something like, “I have back problems. And I need something with more lumbar support.”  The thing is if only one person is using the ergonomic chair, and the office doesn’t have a set standard chair, then it doesn’t matter if the chair has any adjustments at all.  All that matters in that case is that the particular chair they choose fits their body type and work style comfortably.

To an office furniture professional the term ergonomic chair means a chair with a lot of features and adjustments.  Those adjustments and features cost money, just like adding different features to the base model on a car.  If you need to outfit a large office and you want everyone to have the same chair then you need to pick a good chair with a lot of adjustments.

But if you are okay with having different chairs for people with different body types, then you can save a lot of money by having a list of approved office chairs suitable for different body types.  Or if you are the only one using that office chair, stop worrying about having a lot of adjustments and focus only on your comfort and your work style.

If that happens to be an ergonomic chair that you can adjust just right for you, and it is at a price point you are comfortable with that is fine.  But don’t let anyone convince you that you have to have all the adjustments just because you have back problems or because your current office chair does not fit your current  work style.

Ergonomic Chair -How much does a real one cost?

The cheapest true ergonomic chair that I would recommend is the HON Convergence ergonomic chair which is in my HON NOW catalog, which I currently sell the most popular configuration for $266.40.  I typically sell everything in that catalog at 40% off the list price, but for larger projects contact me for deeper discounting.

For a bit more money the Ignition 2.0 in the same catalog is a step up with a few more features and a heavier weight rating.  The Ignition 2.0 ergonomic chair is also suitable for 24/7 work environments.  They are both great chairs, Made in the USA with a Lifetime Warranty, and my overall best sellers.

But I always warn against buying a chair without really sitting in it for a while.  If the chair does have adjustments make sure they are optimized for you before you pull it up to a table and simulate your work environment.  If you aren’t sure how to adjust it to fit you, ask.  If they don’t know either, you are in the wrong place.  And if you are buying a multi function chair for under $200 and plan on using it every day, plan on replacing it in under a year.