It's becoming increasingly clear that telecommuting is the new normal, so if you haven't already, now is a great time to consider upgrading your home office.
Whether you're trying to upgrade an existing setup or make a temporary situation feel more permanent, a key item to swap out is the dining room chair for an office chair that won't wreak havoc on your back.
In an effort to discover which office chairs are truly comfortable, we spent over a month testing 11 different options that vary in price, function, and style.
We compare important features, like back and lumbar support, and dive into whether the more expensive options are really worth the extra money.
In the end, two chairs sat comfortably at the top of our list:
Best General Office Chair: Steelcase Series 1 Chair
Best Budget Buy: Alera Elusion Series Mesh Multifunction Chair
Read here why were the winners and where you can buy them.
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A deep dive into the winners
The Steelcase Series 1 (
USD $ 492 /
MX $ 12,627 at 15 MSI;
on Amazon) scored among the highest overall, standing out as one of the most customizable, high-quality, and comfortable office chairs on the market.
Best General Office Chair: Steelcase Series 1
On its website, Steelcase offers a wealth of information on what makes a quality office chair.
While also allowing your arms to remain straight on your desk and your eyes to be at screen level as you recline.
After spending nine business days testing three different Steelcase models, we feel safe saying that the company knows what it is talking about.
While all three Steelcase chairs received high scores in our test group, Series 1 (
USD $ 492 /
MX $ 12,627), Steelcase's most affordable option, combines exceptional comfort and value better than any chair we tested.
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At first glance, the aesthetics of the chair are straightforward, with simple, clean lines and a compact size.
Compared to the other products we tested, which sometimes had sharp angles, oddly elongated backrests, and unnecessarily large armrests, we found the Series 1 to be one of the most attractive office chairs in our selection.
But when it comes to chairs, it's more important that they are good for your back rather than your eyes. We are delighted to report that with Series 1, Steelcase delivers. After three days of sitting in the chair, we felt that the seat had the perfect balance between cushioning and firmness. Although we were initially concerned that the thick, plastic lumbar fit would feel stiff, it's not an issue. The mesh back was flexible and supportive throughout the testing period. The back, which has what Steelcase refers to as "built-in Liveback technology," may not look as structured as some of the heavily padded backs on the market, but it outperformed padded backs because it moves with you as you work and shift. position.
Arm height adjusts within a 5-inch range to help relieve upper back and shoulder fatigue; arm width adjusts 4 inches overall; arm depth can be retracted 2 inches to allow user to get close to work surface and into tight corners; seat depth adjusts within two and a quarter inch range to accommodate different leg lengths; lumbar height adjusts to more than two and a quarter inches; arm caps independently rotate 40 degrees in and 40 degrees out depending on your preference; and the seat height adjusts within a 5-inch range. If that list doesn't mean much to you, here's the bottom line: This chair is extremely adaptable.
Best Budget Buy: Alera Elusion Series Mesh Multifunction Chair (
USD $ 149 /
MX $ 13,474;
in A
mazon)
The Steelcase Series is the best bang for your buck, but it's still a pretty hefty buy.
While most of the under $ 300 chairs we tested were more similar to a pile of cinder blocks than high-end office chairs, the Alera Elusion series mesh multi-function chair boasts excellent comfort. and adjustability.
Elution was one of the most comfortable chairs I tried.
His thick padded seat and retained more expensive chairs, and breathable mesh backing was one of its best features.
While the armrests of the Elusion (
USD $ 149 /
MX $ 13,474) are very adjustable, they are not as easy to adjust as the Steelcase armrests. To adjust the width of the armrest on the Elusion, you need to reach under the seat and turn a knob to the desired position. The buttons for the height of the armrest also feel a bit stiffer and difficult to adjust than the mechanisms of any of the Steelcase chairs, but with a little force, it is simple enough to move them.
One of the least desirable aspects of this chair is its assembly process.
Of all the chairs we had to assemble, the Elusion took the longest - 43 minutes (after unpacking) to set up the chair, not including adjustments.
Given the number of chairs that arrive fully assembled, you have to compromise a bit to save some money on the Elusion.
The instructions were incredibly vague and we wasted a fair amount of time trying to hold the armrests.
But since assembly is only a one-time inconvenience resulting in a very comfortable chair, it wasn't a problem, especially at this attractive price point.
How we test
The testing process for these office chairs took almost two months.
We unpack and assemble each chair, paying particular attention to the amount of time each unpacking and construction process took.
For the chairs that required assembly, we recorded the amount of time it took to assemble each chair.
Once each chair was fully built, we went through all of the included fitting materials and adjusted the chair to the proper specifications as much as possible.
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Once the chairs were properly assembled and adjusted, we sat in each chair for three consecutive 9-hour work days in the same office setup and conditions every day.
We carefully observed how each chair performed in different positions accommodating various tasks throughout the workday (typography, writing, phone calls, and video conferencing).
We also recorded the general level of comfort after several days of sitting and working in each chair.
In general, we evaluate based on what would be most important to the user: comfort and fit, construction, and length of warranty.
To determine the most accurate overall scores for each of these three largest categories, we divided the tests into 10 subcategories:
Comfort and fit
Comfort
of the
seat:
observe how the seat felt sitting first, then reevaluate to mark the end of three days.
Backrest Comfort:
We looked at how the backrest felt by sitting down first, and then re-evaluating it at the end of the three-day mark.
Comfort
of the
armrest:
We observe how they felt armrests sitting on each chair first and then reassessed at the end of the three -
day mark.
Adjustability:
To assess the adjustability of each chair, we took note of the various features of each chair that could be adjusted, rated the individual adjustability of each feature on a scale of 1 to 15, and then averaged these numbers to obtain an overall fit score. We analyzed adjustability on a scale of 1 to 15 for each of the following office chair characteristics: seat height, seat angle, seat depth, armrest height, armrest width, armrest angle, angle backrest height
Back and lumbar support:
We looked at the level of lumbar support that each chair provided (if any) by sitting in the chair first. We also looked at the level of back support each chair provides, paying particular attention to how supportive the back felt at a range of chair angles and positions. Like the other tests, we then retest at the end of the three-day mark to determine a final score.
Ease of recline:
First, we look at whether each chair allows the user to recline.
Then for the chairs that included a recline feature, we made sure each chair adjusted to your most flexible or easiest recline setting, and then we looked at how easy it was to recline the chair while sitting in a normal position.
Construction
Ease of Assembly:
For chairs that required some level of assembly at the time of delivery, we recorded the amount of time it took to unpack and assemble the chair, from start to finish (not including time spent properly adjusting the chair).
Quality of chair materials:
We take note of our first impression of the fabric, the armrest materials and the finishes of each chair.
We paid particular attention to how sturdy each chair appeared to the first impression (i.e. did it squeak or did it look like it might crumble?).
We also took note of these details after three days of sitting in each chair.
Overall aesthetics:
We evaluate the overall appearance of each chair in comparison to other chairs on the market and in our test pool.
We also take note of the variety of color options for upholstery, metals, plastics, and other materials used to make each chair.
Warranty
Is there a guarantee?
We value the length and coverage of the warranty for each chair.
How we rate
We determined a maximum number of points that each product could earn for each category and subcategory test mentioned above, including a higher number of overall points for the characteristics that we identified as most important to the overall user experience of the office chair.
Comfort and adjustability had a maximum of 80 points.
Comfort and support had a maximum of 65 points:
seat comfort (15 points), backrest comfort (15 points), armrest comfort (15 points), lumbar and back support (15 points), and ease of recline ( 5 points).
Adjustability had a maximum of 15 points
, taken by giving 8 individual fit tests a score of 1-15 points and then determining their overall fit score: seat height adjustment (1-15), angle adjustment (1-15), seat depth adjustment (1-15), armrest height adjustment (1-15), armrest width adjustment (1-15), armrest angle adjustment (1 -15), backrest angle adjustment (1-15) and backrest height adjustment (1-15).
The construction had a maximum of 15 points:
Ease of assembly (5 points), quality of the materials of the chair (5 points) and general aesthetics of the chair (5 points).
The warranty had a maximum of 5 points:
more than five years (5 points), three to five years (2 points), zero to two years (0 points).
Other office chairs we tested
Ikea Markus chair (
US $ 229;
ikea.com
)
While this was one of the most affordable chairs in our tests, it was also one of the least comfortable chairs we tested.
It's still better than a dining chair, but its cushioned slim seat was uncomfortable after two days, the armrests were incredibly thin and rubbery, and the lack of adaptability was a major issue.
Also, we found that the backrest was unnecessarily high, and given the chair's lack of adjustment, it just didn't feel like an adjustment.
Herman Miller Aeron Chair (
USD $ 699 /
MX $ 5,246)
This was one of the most aesthetically pleasing chairs we tested, and it received high marks for comfort and build across the board.
The main drawbacks here were the high price and the relative lack of fit.
Hon Ignition 2.0 chair (
USD $ 342 /
MX $ 8,816)
While this chair received a relatively high score for its adjustability, it lacked sufficient lumbar support and had an uncomfortable backrest.
Although the angle of the backrest is adjustable, it was one of our lowest scoring chairs in terms of ease of recline.
If you like being able to comfortably switch back and forth between sitting upright and leaning back, this might not be the best chair for you.
Steelcase Gesture Chair
(
USD $ 425 /
MX $ 12,627)
Steelcase chairs were some of our favorite products that we tried.
The Steelcase Gesture received a perfect score in terms of construction, ease of assembly and quality of materials.
Its lifetime warranty also gave it high marks, however it just wasn't as comfortable as the other Steelcase chairs we tested.
If you like a very structured and supportive backrest, this might be a good option for you.
If you're in favor of a more flexible mesh back (and a lower price), go for the Steelcase Series 1.
AmazonBasics High-Back, Leather Executive Chair (
USD $ 156 /
MX $ 5,402)
The best we can say about this chair is that it has very comfortable armrests.
Other than that, the lack of adjustment for the armrests (and for almost every other aspect of the chair) made it one of our least favorite products.
This chair also received low marks in terms of construction - it started to squeak on the first day, and after three days of use, several of the screws fell off the chair.
Even if we admit that this could be due to user error during setup, nothing like this happened in any other chair we assembled, so poor quality and assembly instructions are at least partly to blame.
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