Purchasing a home office chair is a significant event for most people. It's not something you do every day, and the minute you purchase one, you might have it for the next decade or two. Let's face it; it's one of those pieces of furniture you grow an attachment to, even long after they've outlived their usefulness.
That said, many factors are at play when choosing the best home office chair for your setup. Naturally, in this day and age, your first stop is not at the furniture dealership but down the rabbit hole of online home office chair reviews (like this one).
Online reviews are a great resource, and ultimately, it pays to know what factors to prioritize for your unique situation in order to get a chair you'll not want to return after a few days of use if that's even possible.
To get you started, we'll highlight why you need a good home office chair, what factors to include in your checklist and a breakdown of 5 of the best ergonomic home office chairs from Flexispot in their distinct categories. Let's get started.
Why are Office Chairs Great?
If you're reading this, you probably know the advantages of having a good home office chair, but we'll reiterate 5 of those benefits for you just to give you more confidence when purchasing one.
Improved Posture
Poor posture can cause a lot of aches, pains, and strains on your neck, back, and shoulder. Postural problems develop gradually, and correcting them can take years if you're lucky since, for the majority, they become a lifelong burden. Correcting and maintaining good posture is as easy as getting the right furniture, and an ergonomic office chair is an excellent place to start.
Improved Comfort
You're probably spending more hours in a day seated at your home office desk, so it makes sense to ensure that the accompanying chair is a comfortable one. Makeshift office chairs or repurposing furniture you already own feels like an easy way out, but we can all admit that their comfort level astronomically declines once you've been seated longer than 1 hour. Get a dedicated office chair–one that caters to long-term comfort.
Improved Productivity
When you have a good home office setup, you are able to amass the same level of focus as office-based employees. Physically marking your home office can cause a correlated effect in your mind that cues your focus the minute you sit in your office corner. Getting a good home office chair just goes a step further in ensuring you're not constantly shifting in your seat or getting up to relieve sore muscles, affecting your productive work hours.
Improved Health
Relieving your joint and muscle aches by maintaining good posture is one contributor. Secondly, when you're seated at a 90-degree angle, it encourages proper blood circulation to your legs, preventing swelling. Third, you retain peace of mind by not experiencing any posture-related issues and avoid issues such as stress, anxiety, and related depression.
Improved Efficiency
An office chair is an efficient piece of furniture. As a bare minimum, it gives you a comfortable place to sit as you work. In addition, office chairs also come equipped with features that elevate your work day, like casters to aid in movement, lift systems to match the working surface height, etc.
What Should You Have on Your Checklist?
The following are factors you should have on your checklist as you go out shopping for your ergonomic home office chair:
Price
With so many options available, it's essential to do your research and have a spending ballpark. Otherwise, you might pay thousands of dollars for functionality you do not need or short-change yourself by purchasing a dirt-cheap chair that's no better than your dining chair.
Performance
The modern office chair comes with all the bells and whistles. From tilting headrests to warming functions, to cup holders, rocking and swiveling functions–if you can think of it, it's probably been made. Also, factor in the time you'll spend seated–the more the time, the better the quality you'll need. So think of what you need your chair to do, and shop accordingly.
Durability
As with most things, it is always advisable to go with a trusted brand for a better guarantee on your product. You can decide to get a cheap, generic Ikea home office chair and think you've outsmarted the system–but the problem with no-name brand things is that, quite often, they're not built to last. Their warranties are lower, and there's no after-sale support. Therefore, stick to trusted brands, even if you do purchase from large furniture retailers.
Ergonomics
Have your measurements and make sure the chair works for your body (height and weight). If possible, ensure to test it out in order to get a feel for how comfortable you'll be and how well it holds your body up.
Compatibility
You cannot have a chair with a low maximum height paired with a high working surface or buy a massive chair for a tiny space. For instance, leather office chairs tend to be bulkier than most other options, making a small room feel even more crowded. Match a small space with a small home office chair and vice versa. Also, let your chair be part of the aesthetics; e.g., if your space feels dull, pick a white home office chair to brighten up the space.
Flexispot Picks for the Best Home Office Chairs
If you need a home office chair, here's our short and simple guide to what makes your best at home office chair:
Best Budget Office Chair
Ergonomic Office Chair OC3
The OC3 ergonomic office chair retails for $219, but you can take advantage of the running holiday offer and get it for $199. It's a durable chair with a pegboard made of durable steel. The chair features a lifting armrest that can be adjusted to 3 different positions, as well as an adjustable lifting headrest with a hanger at the back for your scarf or coat to minimize movement should it get chilly. It also has a 2-position tilt locking mechanism for your comfort as you lean back for a breather.
Best Bang for Your Buck
Ergonomic Office Chair BS7
At $499, the chair is well worth the price, and even more so with the $20 discount. The chair is quite elegant, with features that maximize the user's experience. The chair's unique soft plastic design adjusts the back strength according to the user's body weight, increasing comfort. The seat pan is adjustable for the same purpose. Beneath, you find dials to slide the cushion back and forth, another to adjust the backrest tilt tightness, and another to adjust the tilt angle and sitting height–all to suit the user's height and weight. The fabric on the chair is breathable to guarantee all-day freshness. And the chair comes with smooth, high-strength 360-degree casters to help you move your seat without damaging your floor.
Best Ergonomic Office Chair
Back Support Ergonomic Office Chair OC13
If you struggle with shoulder, neck, and back aches from long hours of sitting, then this $499 comfortable home office chair needs to be the next item in your check-out cart. It has features that allow you to customize your seat for the best-seated experience. The headrest can be adjusted over a range of 2.36 inches, besides being able to tilt up or down to maximize neck and head support. The chair also has a gorgeous, walnut-design, movable lumbar support that can be adjusted over 3.14 inches to effectively counter back pain. The chair has an adjustable seat height and position to further optimize seated comfort. Plus, you can also adjust the tilt resistance of the chair's backrest and lock it when you've achieved your desired resistance.
Best Overall
Soutien Ergonomic Office Chair
The Soutein is rated five stars on the Flexispot website by hundreds of customers, and with good reason. The seat is a balance between form, factor, and cost. The Soutein goes for $349.99 but is currently on offer for $269.99. Besides the fair price, what makes it the most practical office chair is that it is a healthy mix of everything else. You get three height adjustment levels for lumbar support and a contoured backrest that conforms to your natural curvature. The fabric is breathable for ventilation–so no back sweats. Besides that, the backrest tilts to 45 degrees for a comfortable resting position. For elbow and arm comfort, you can adjust the armrests in 4 different ways. And it has an adjustable seat depth to accommodate different body shapes. Best of all is that this is a chair our clients just keep recommending.
Premium Buy
Ergonomic Chair Pro (OC14)
This is an ergonomic chair with a touch of luxury. One look at it and the $629.99 price tag is immediately justified. It has a modern appeal and the most alluring color choices. Besides that, the chair's design adjusts the back strength to the user's weight. The seat also adjusts according to the user's height. The armrests have been reimagined and have a super cool handrail lifting control. And as expected, the headrest is also adjustable with a natural arch shape to perfectly accommodate the back of most peoples' heads. What makes the Pro different is that it executes ergonomics tastefully, and the fine curves, vibrant design, and powerful color options simply add to the room's aesthetics. It might just be the perfect fit for your home office.
Conclusion
The benefits speak for themselves, and evidently, there's something for everyone.
If you're looking for the best ergonomic home office chair, we have even more options available, and no one does it better than Flexispot!
