Not every chair is a winner. Here are a few more that we like enough to recommend, but they’re not as good as our top picks above.
Knoll Newson task force chair for $1,350: This minimalist chair looks best in graphite and petal colors; it’s a bit dull in black and umber. It’s great that I didn’t have to fiddle with any levers or knobs—it’s comfortable to take out of the box and can be adjusted easily if you need to make some adjustments—and it feels especially nice. great when you lean back. (The red knob adjusts the recline tension, but you need to turn it for five revolutions and I find it difficult to turn at times.) Newson gave me no trouble in the nearly two months I sat on it. I’m just not a big fan of how the elastic mesh backrest deforms, depending on how you sit. It feels clumpy. This chair also doesn’t let me sit as straight as I’d like, but you’re probably fine with a little giving. In the end, it’s the price that pulls it away from our top recommendations. But you get a 12 year warranty.
All-Alani Chair for $379: Alani, from the producer our favorite standing desk, there are several color combinations that will harmonize with any home office. There’s a beautifully contoured cushioning in the sole and mesh back to keep you cool, along with lumbar support for good posture. You can adjust the seat height, depth, armrests and recline tension, and you can lock the recline. WIRED reviewer Simon Hill found it comfortable for long days up to 16 hours and it suited both the 6’1″ himself and his 5-foot daughter. It’s an alternative. sure for the Branch Ergonomic Chair (our top pick) and regularly drop to around $303 during sale events.
Ikea Markus Chair for $289: Markus is a perfect office chair. It’s not the most comfortable, but it’s not the worst. The mesh design keeps you cool and the high back allows you to lean completely against it. It’s quite thin and doesn’t cause discomfort in a bedroom or small home office. It’s annoying to assemble (lol, Ikea), and you may need someone to hold the back of the chair while you assemble the chair properly. Unfortunately, if you regularly sit with at least one leg bent or crossed, the distance between your arms will make you uncomfortable.
X-Chair X-Tech Executive Chair for $1,900: Functionally, the X-Tech is similar to the X-Chair selection above. In this version, the M-Foam cooling gel seat is really great to sit in, although it doesn’t dissipate as much heat as the all-mesh X Seat. The Brisa Soft Touch material is most impressive—it’s surprisingly soft. I recommend using the standard armrest instead of the FS 360 armrest, which tends to move too much. But my biggest gripe with this model is the price. Why on earth does it cost so much?
Mavix M7 Chair for $778: If it looks uncanny to the X-Chair (see above), it’s because they’re both owned by the same company. I had some problems with the assembly, but customer service was able to exchange the model without much effort. The M7 has the same adjustable armrests and seat angle, but you can lock the wheels. Mesh back and wide seat construction keep you cool and comfortable during sweaty workouts League of Legends, and the lumbar support makes me feel like I’m in good hands. If you’re short, contact customer support while ordering—Mavix offers shorter cylinders so your feet hit the ground.
Herman Miller Vantum gaming chair for $795: At first, I really liked this chair. I love how I can keep myself in an extremely upright position, which makes me feel more engaged with the work I’m doing. The grille backrest is quite good. However, the overall build quality feels cheap and doesn’t scream with Herman Miller (nor does the asking price, now $200 off). The headrest is also terrible—I almost broke it trying to move it up and down. When I continued to sit, it was the rear support that let me down the most. You can feel lumbar support in your lower back, and not in a good way, almost like it’s ingrained. At least it doesn’t hurt my back.
Hon Ignition 2.0 office chair for $399: This chair is easy to install and looks great, but it gives me a lot of back pain, which is why I originally put it in the “Avoid” section. I thought maybe I’d worked long hours so I went back to the Knoll Newson Task chair and my pain quickly eased. After a while, I tried again. After a few hours, the pain came back and moved to another chair, the pain disappeared again. Confused me because this chair has rave reviews on the web. Then I gave up my seat to a friend about 5’4″ tall and she had no problems. This seems to be the answer. Maybe Ignition doesn’t work with my 6’4″ self, and More suitable for smaller people.
Pipersong Meditation Chair for $349: Having a problem sitting on a traditional chair? If your legs need to be bent and twisted for you to feel comfortable, you’ll want to check out this chair. It has a 360-degree rotating footrest that can accommodate pretty much any sitting position you want. I can go from kneeling to full lotus and then one foot up, one foot down. You can also sit regularly, with the stool behind and your feet flat on the floor. It’s the only chair I’ve found designed for the odd sitting habit. There are no armrests, which I don’t mind, because that’s what makes it possible to sit in many of these positions. The actual stool and chair back can be larger and taller respectively. I had to use a pillow to keep my back comfortable.
