There are literally thousands of office chairs out there, some offering different and unique functions. But which ones stack up in 2020?
We have put together a short list of our tried and tested office chairs of 2020. Although not all of them are new to 2020, we have picked chairs that our clients gravitate to when put against similar chair in their price range.
The below chairs are in no particular order and we have indicated a rough price guide based on the amount of £ symbols shown.
Herman Miller – Cosm
Price: ££££
Herman Miller’s popularity in task chairs can be taken back to the famous Aeron chair. Designed by Bill Stumf and Don Chadwick in 1994 its futuristic looks and ergonomic support beat everything in the market. The cosm designed by Studio 7.5 is the next leap from Herman Miller in task chair design. It’s simplistic look is backed up by legendary ergonomic support and function. it features “Auto-Harmonic Tilt” which automatically provides balance and movement depending on body weight, although this is not revolutionary tech the intergration of its “Intercept” mesh seat and back makes its one of the comfortable chairs in the market and makes you feel weightless. The image above is the medium back version with a low back (the low back also has the added function of you can lean on the back of the chair) and high back also available. Do not be put off by the arms as these are to support your elbows when your arms are resting on a worksurface or on your phone. However, note the Cosm also comes with a fixed and adjustable arm option if needed. We also like the on trend pastal colours the chair is availble in, you can select from 6 colours which correlate to the base finish or you can have a semi-polished finish. In summary, if you can afford the price tag then the Cosm should have a size or function to fit your workplace.
Orangebox – DO
Price: £££
The Orangebox-Do chair is the bestselling chair in the UK #fact. It is made by the British manufacturer Orangebox who have recently been bought out by the global furniture manufacturer, Steelcase. The Do chairs success is down to its versatility and ruggedness in the field, it has all of the warranty, certifications and ergonomic features a chair could want, there are plenty of colour choices available and comes in at a good price point. It’s automatic synchronous mechanism means you do not need to fiddle around with nobs and leavers to fit it to your body, meaning your staff can swap chairs without needing to adjust every time. We would however recommend upgrading the mechanism to have the travel limiter as this means you can lock the back off at different positions throughout the day (which is good for blood flow) In regards to finishes as the seat is upholstered in fabric, you have a never ending possibility hear. Although a lot of our customers stay with darker colours to hide any coffee stains. We would also recommend purchasing a new version of this chair as the foam padding on the older chair models was harder than the newer version and less comfortable. All in all this is a solid task chair and comes across well with large corporates who need compliance down, to smaller companies who want a cost effective but good 24 hour chair.
Techo – Sidiz (T50)
Price: ££
The Sidiz (T50) task chair from Techo is probably the best chair for its price in it’s class. The chair was launched in the UK in the mid 2000’s and was imported from South Korea, it’s popularity grew over the next decade and you can now see this chair in most office blocks in London and around the UK. Simplicity is a massive selling point for this chair and although you still need to adjust a lot of the functions on the chair (Locking tension, seat height adjustment, forward tilt and seat slide) it has a very comfortable seat pad (which can be replaced if soiled) and comes fully kitted out without expensive options. Although you can pick a few colours on the seat pad almost all our clients stick with the black option, polished base and frame comes as standard in the price along with all a lot of functions. If you require a headrest, coat hook or lumbar support they are an option… but not an expensive one. One of the best features on the chair is it’s forward tilt mechanism which flips up the back of the seat into a forward position. If you are one of those people who likes to sit forward on their chair it means your lower back is not being supported by the lumbar/mesh of the seat, however when this chair is in the forward tilt state it brings your hips and back into the correct position allowing correct posture and blood flow into your legs. Winner! In regards to packaging it should be noted as this chair is imported the chair box is tiny so is great if you want to store or ship in large quantities. Finally, in regard to price point the T50 is very reasonably priced so really does give you the best “bang for buck”! Just a shame the controls are not autonomous so if you each user needs to set up the chair to suit them.
Humanscale – Liberty
Price: ££££
The Liberty chair was dubbed as the “Aeron killer” when it was first introduced by Humanscale in 2004, designed by Neils Diffrient the brief was to design a task chair with form flowing function, mesh back and minimalist form. The Liberty chair was also one of the first manufacturers to design a chair with automatic counterbalance recline mechanism meaning there is limited buttons for the seat height adjustment and seat slide. As you would expect with Humanscale the chair comes with a 15-year warranty (check warranty on individual parts also) and is certified to a high level of standards so you do not need to worry about compliance. Regarding comfort level this is one of the best, it has a very comfortable contour padding and a mesh back for good support and performs very well in our client tests. moreover, it also has the option to have a gel pad in the armrest and seat if you need added comfort. the armrests themselves can be fixed or adjustable, however note it does not have a 3D or width adjustable option. Our clients love the customisability of the chair with many options on the seat base, frame, mesh, and fabric seat so you can customise the chair to your corporate brand or style. We also like the environmental aspect of the Liberty chair with recyclable components, packaging and manufacturing which are very important to us at Cirque and to a lot of our clients. In regards to downsides there are very little however we have noticed when in the reclined position the seat itself raises up towards you, this is to open up the hips and keep you in a “task” position, however it might not be expected when comparing it with other chairs where the seat lowers when you lean back. In summary the Humanscale Liberty chair is a little on the pricey side however if you want a solid and comfortable chair that will suit 95% of your workforce you can’t go wrong with this chair. (You could also try the Diffrient smart chair which give you 3D arms and more comfortable back mesh)
Workstories – J1
Price: £££
Similar to the T50 chair reviewed above, the J1 chair by Workstories (formerly Bestuhl) is imported from the far east and boasts a lot of similar functions of the T50, however in a neater and more stylish form. The J1 comes with a good amount of options on finish with an all-black, white/grey and polished base as standard. Different fabric and mesh options are available on the J1, however most of our clients will opt for the all black version for its sleek and practical look. As standard it is fitted with a mesh adjustment lumbar support that cleverly tensions the mesh in an area to support your lower lumbar region where needed. The arms are fully adjustable with a width adjustment which is great to allow for all different sizes of users. As you would expect with Workstories the chair comes with a good warranty period of 5 years and 8 hours continuous sit so wouldn’t be recommended for 24 hour shift patterns. In regards to comfort level the mesh back is very comfortable and because the lumbar support is created by the mesh there isn’t a piece of plastic sticking into your back, the fabric seat has a good amount of foam and is very comfortable. Although the seat is flatted than other chair like the Humanscale Liberty you do not get as much support on the bottom. As mentioned above the chair is imported so it has the same benefit of being in stock for fast delivery and shipped in a small box so good for storage or larger quantities where delivery charges can be high. All in all this is a brilliant chair for its price, the components are all good quality, the sit is very comfortable and the adjustment levels intuitive and easy to use.
We hope you found the our blog on the best chairs for 2020 useful and if you require and pricing or added information on any of the chair above then please feel free to contact us: info@cirquefurniture.com
