Choosing a new office chair can be a bit of a minefield, who knew there were so many options! Not just the things you may expect to be able to choose such as the fabric colour and whether to have arms or not but which mechanism would you like, which additional options would like, which chair base style?! Here we attempt to try and simplify your office chair shopping experience...
Your office chair works hard, it supports you throughout your working days and often stays with you for years so it needs to be right. One of the most important factors when choosing your office chair is the chair mechanism, we list the most common mechanisms here:
Synchronised (synchro) mechanism: This means that the back and seat of your office chair will tilt at the same time at a set angle. I.e. you tilt your seat and your back will tilt too.
Tilt mechanism: The tilt mechanism on your office chair enables you to adjust the angle of your seat and your back independently of each other. So if you adjust your seat tilt your back will not move and vice versa. We recommend this chair mechanism, particularly for users with back problems as it offers more flexibility to get the ultimate comfortable seating position.
Bodybalance mechanism: This office chair mechanism automatically adjusts to the users weight - most office chairs offer a weight tension control which means lighter users can reduce the tension and heavier users can increase the tension, a body balance mechanism will automatically adjust, without the user having ti make any adjustments.
PCB mechanism: This is when the back on the office chair has an adjustable angle which is controlled by the chair user, the seat does not adjust unless this is added as an optional extra.
There are lots more adjustments on office chairs that often come as standard. Typical office chairs from the more basic to designer generally all offer a height adjustable seat, this is important as we all have different sized legs and we should be sitting with our feet flat on the floor and legs at a comfortable angle - not have our legs dangling(!)
An adjustable backrest is preferable, particularly if the chair back is shaped or has a lumbar support, this enables the user to get the lumbar positioned correctly to their individual body shape.
A seat slide is always a good option particularly if more than one person is going to be using the chair. A seat slide enables the seat depth to adjust, so taller people can push it right out to support the underside of their legs and shorter people can reduce the seat depth to support their legs correctly.
Office Chair Arms: Some people prefer no arms on their chairs, some people find they get in the way, particularly if they are in-and-out of their chair regularly. for those that do like arms though there are a number of options, there are fixed arms which are not as common these days, these are generally loop style, some of the newer chairs and meeting chairs offer fixed armrests often as part of the designer look of the chair.
The more typical office chairs are offered with adjustable arms and we are getting asked more and more for drop-down arms, these give ultimate flexibility, they can be left up when in use and offer great additional support, drop-down arms can be dropped down out of the way enabling the chair user to tuck right under their desk. Drop-down arms are a great option when multiple users use the same task chair.
Office Chair Base: Office chairs are often seen with the standard black 5-star base on castors which work perfectly well however, there are of course more options than that! There are more contemporary styles often called a 'spider base', a spider base tends to have thinner and straighter stems. Chair bases are often also listed in a chrome or polished aluminium finish, these not only look more superior but also offer additional strength - great for heavy duty office chairs too!
Often quite a tricky decision to make when choosing your new office chairs is the fabric colour! Especially if there is more than one person involved in making this decision, the most popular chair fabrics ordered with us are always blue and black but it is nice to see some 'braver' colour choices going through! Chairs of course do not just have to be fabric either we also offer office chairs in vinyl and leather and mesh office chairs are also still a popular choice with the mesh being available in a number of colours now too.
Hopefully we have given you a brief introduction to choosing your new office chair and you will have a smooth office chair shopping experience however there are lots more options that we do not list here, such as specialist ergonomic chairs, they have a variety of options and there are even bespoke sized office chairs available, the list is endless but hopefully this has provided you with a good starting point!
Happy shopping and of course any questions please do not hesitate to contact us here at LOF Direct, we would love to help.
We like to work with the best office furniture manufacturers available, so from office seating manufacturers in Northamptonshire to office furniture manufacturers in Lithuania, we have access to them all. This means we can bring the best in office furniture designs direct to you at fantastic prices.
