Office chairs have a wide range of prices, with the majority being under $100.
The average consumer may look at the more expensive ergonomic chair and wonder what the differences are that make for a higher price tag.
Cost of Research and Development
Durability Has a Fixed Price; You Get What You Pay For!
More Features Will Add Extra Cost.
The Finish You Choose Significantly Affects The Price.
With the modern worker spending on average 8 hours a day (40 hours per week) in a chair, splurging on something you spend 1/3 of your time in is worth the extra money!
Should I Spend Extra For A Quality Office Chair?
Yes, if you’re suffering sedentary aches or spend too much time sitting.
Splurging on something you might spend around 33% of the day is worth the investment.
We explain the importance of why it is necessary to spend extra on your next office chair.
Research & Development In Ergonomics
An expensive process that only a few companies thoroughly explore.
The resources allocated to designing and creating top tier ergonomic office chairs don't come cheap. Some of the top brands in the workstation swivel chair market spend years and tens of millions of dollars on a single product.
Ergonomics is part art & part science, it designs things to fit people instead of asking people to fit things.
The steelcase leap chair, took over 4 years of development, burned through $35 million in R&D, and partook in 11 academic case studies.
Ergonomic research on seating is mostly interested in the bio mechanics of sitting–Things like the positioning and posture of the spine and pelvis.
The contraction of the sitters muscles and their pressure distributions.
Today, research understands that sitting is a dynamic activity that changes from person to person.
Most of our current studies tackle sedentary sitting and its risk factors.
Unfortunately, the research on sitting with comfort and discomfort isn’t well understood. Reason being that most people sit in two common sitting positions.
Erect Posture (Sitting Up Straight)
Forward Leaning Task posture (As If You Were Writing)
The issue with using so few sitting styles is that in actual life we often change positions.
The Future of Ergonomic Office Sitting
The future of workstations & office activity has a few issues that need to be addressed.
Start the design process with cognitive ergonomics before physical ergonomics. Thoughtful design like easy access to control levers.
Support the widest variety of diverse work activities.
Incorporating “Smart Materials” like Nano-fibers that are stronger than conventional mesh.
Environmentally Friendly Manufacturing Practices.
How Are Ergonomic Chairs Premium?
These sedentary saving features prove their expensive price tag.
They are superior to regular office chairs & gaming chairs in more ways than one.
Posture Correcting Features
One of the most common is lumbar support. Without proper lumbar support, the core muscles that support your neck, shoulder, and spine become strained.
More Customization
Most ergonomic office chairs come with armrests that can move in up to 12 different directions.
They can also unequipped off all together and headrest. Some other customization features include the following.
Adjustable or Removable Lumbar Support
2D, 3D, 4D Armrests
Quality Memory Foam Seat Cushions
Tilt-Lock-Control
Multi-Surface Dual Wheel Casters
Without these features, our body would slump forward (unhealthy posture) and our shoulders would get heavy during lengthy periods of sitting.
Promotes Healthy Posture
Sitting for too long all hunched gets the vertebrae compressed, which leads to a weakening of your spinal discs.
Compared to standard traditional swivel chairs, they equip ergonomic office chairs with higher quality features that ease pain when sitting for extended periods of time.
Lumbar Support
Curves naturally to your spine and will improve overall posture. They make many chairs with fixed support cushions that do not align with petite sitters.
This standard feature is available in two types. Some chairs have built-in lumbar supports to the cushion and are height adjustable.
The other more common way is detachable foam “pillows” that are also height adjustable.
The lumbar support should curve to the lower section of your back. Memory foam is the best type of material because it should mold around you, supporting your unique posture.
Quality varies on a per chair basis, but the most important feature is that the lumbar support is adjustable.
Armrests
The type of armrests is very preferential and some go without them all together.
When looking at the quality of armrests, check the padding and make sure it’s something that won’t jack up your elbow.
I prefer the gaming type of armrest that is 4D because they are more adjustable with 12 directions of change.
Here is an explanation if you’re wondering what exactly is the difference between a 3D and 4D armrests.
Backrest Adjustment
The adjustments that fall under this category are features such as adjustable back support, forward tilt-lock, and headrest.
Headrest can often be a hit or miss. We recommended that your next chair has a detachable head-rest option.
Seat Height Adjustment
Most chairs are one size fits all, but they designed some ergonomic chairs in different variants. Since they design the average office chair for sitters in the 5th–95th percentile.
Most ergonomic chairs have a designated height change from 380mm (14.9 inches) to 530mm (20.8 inches) from the floor.
This range in height accommodates most people if you fall on either side.
There are office chairs catered towards both petite sitters and people that are large and tall.
The top names in ergonomic chairs like Steelcase & Herman Miller offer their products at different sizes to better accommodate every sized customer.
This is one reason they are more expensive than standard office chairs.
This data was gathered from Amazon, Walmart, & eBay Market Places.*
Optimal Seating Height For
Petite Sitters
Average Sitters
Large & Tall Sitters
Seated Height
14.0" to 16.0" inches.
19.0" to 16.0" inches.
20" to 28" inches.
Seated Width
15" to 18 inches.
18" to 20" inches.
20" inches. plus
Seated Debth
15" to 18" inches.
18" to 20"inches.
20 inches. plus
Backrest Height
13.9 to 18.0 inches.
18.0 to 22.0 inches.
22.0 inches. plus
7 Ergonomic Features To Consider In Your next Chair
Here are 7 Ergonomic Features Your Next Office Chair Should Have!
Researching your next office chair? Be sure they include these features.
Backrest Should align with shoulders
An Ergonomic chair should have a curved backrest that molds to the sitters back, head rest are optional. To check if chair if, make sure that the back-rest aligns just below your shoulder level.
Adjustable Lumbar Support
The chair should have a five star base on casters,
Tilt Control
An Ergonomic chair should have a backrest adjustable for tilt.
Stong 5 "star" base Structure
An Ergonomic chair should have a five star base of casters (wheels), preferably double casters.
Let The Sitter Lean Back With Ease
An Ergonomic chair should have a bit of give when the sitter leans back.
2D or Above Armrests
An Ergonomic chair should be adjustable for a height of 14’.0" - 20’.0" inches
Watch for Seat Height From Ground
An Ergonomic chair should be adjustable for a height of 14’.0" - 20’.0" inches
You may not find these features in every chair but pick the ones that matter most to you.
The most important feature in my chair of this list is the armrests.
Personally, I rather have no armrests if they’re too short Interested in what features help promote postures and their importance?
When it comes to swivel chairs, ‘pneumatic cylinders’ sets the height.
They are found within all swivel chairs and can be located just below the seat pad on top of the 5-star base.
The gas inside these mechanisms enables the sitter to adjust their chair's height and makes sure it stays there.
This is not your average compressed air, pneumatic cylinders require a special gas to keep them from malfunctioning. There are rare cases over the past decades of swivel chairs exploding due lack of quality assurance.
SOURCES
VINK, P., and M. A. J. KOMPIER. “Improving Office Work: A Participatory Ergonomic Experiment in a Naturalistic Setting.” Ergonomics, vol. 40, no. 4, Apr. 1997, pp. 435–449, 10.1080/001401397188071.
Springer, T. (2010). The Future of Ergonomic Office Seating. Retrieved from https://www.knoll.com/document /1352940440338/ wp_future_ergonomic_seating.pdf
Shiyu Wang. “Ergonomic Chair Design | Human Factors.” Tufts.Edu, 9 Mar. 2018, sites.tufts.edu/humanfactorshiyuwang /2018/03/09/ergonomics-chair-design/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2019.
Tim Springer, Dr. “The Future of Ergonomic Office Seating.” Knoll.Com, Knoll Workplace Research, www.knoll.com/document /1352940440338/wp_future_ergonomic_seating.pdf.
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Claude
ChairPickr | "Writer"
Hello, My name is Claude and I enjoy sitting comfortable. Research into what separates the good from the bad in the matter of chairs started when I made a new year’s resolution to have better posture.
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