How to choose an office chair: My advice based on testing the top models

Buying an office chair and not sure where to start? Here's what I recommend checking when looking at how to choose an office chair.

I've explored the key features you'll want to check in my guide to the best office chairs my team and I have tested. But here, you'll find the main points of consideration when selecting for the most comfortable desk seats for your workspace - whether you're working from home or the office.

Investing in an office chair is exactly that: an investment. So, I never recommend going for the absolute cheapest seat you can find. They typically lack the features required for maximum comfort, and that can seriously harm your productivity. Instead, these are the features and factors you'll want to check before committing to any purchase.

How to choose an office chair: Sitting hours

First, figure out if you need a chair for all-day use. If you're using one for every work hour of a working week, you'll want to invest in one that offers a good amount of comfort and support.

If you're going beyond those 8-hour days, and need want one for work and play, the best gaming chairs are typically a good bet - although I recommend those with fabric or mesh materials for better breathability.

If you spent a short time sitting during intense, focused projects, then a task chair - or a low-back chair - is specifically designed for this sort of work where you don't need extensive back support.

How to choose an office chair: Price & value

Once you have a good idea of what type of office chair you want, it's time to start pricing up.

For me, finding the right office chair is never about the cheapest model available. And I say that as someone who's careful with his money and loves a good deal. What this really comes down to is value. If I'm spending a couple of hundred on a chair, I want to be confident that it'll deliver good ergonomic comfort and features, and that it'll last a long time.

Based on what I've tested along with the rest of the team, for budget and mid-range chairs, look to brands like Boulies, Branch, Sihoo, and FlexiSpot. Chairs from these companies have all reviewed exceptionally well in their price bracket. Highlights include the Branch Verve, the FlexiSpot C7, and the Sihoo Doro C300. For what it's worth, my daily driver is the Boulies EP200 - which costs around $300 / £300 - and I haven't had any issues with it at all. It's a solid office chair pick.

What you're looking for here is a good range of adjustability and an ergonomic design. They may not have every bell and whistle, though for most workers, they'll tick all the key boxes I think are important.

What you often lack with cheaper chairs is a long warranty. If that's an important factor for your investment, you'll want to nudge the budget to the upper-end, as both Herman Miller and Steelcase typically offer 12-year warranties on their office chairs. Yes, they're more expensive, but alongside that long warranty, the chairs tend to be impeccably designed and engineered to an executive level. Top-rated chairs in the price range include Herman Miller's Embody and Aeron, and the Steelcase Gesture and Leap.

For a mid-range all-rounder that offers excellent value for money and combines some of the best elements of both price points, the Steelcase Series 2 is my favorite.

How to choose an office chair: Style

When selecting an office chair, there are two main type to choose from if you're using it all day. The mid-back and the high-back chair (sometimes called an executive chair).

There are pros and cons to both, which I've charted below.

Most workers will want to avoid low-back task chairs. They won't offer any true back support and, as noted above, they're better-suited to short sitting times.

Note, in terms of active and passive posture, what this essentially means is that that in a mid-back chair, you're in control of your posture when seated; in a high-back chair, the design naturally forces the chair to do the work for you.

So, if you're serious about correcting your posture - and taking control of how you sit at your desk - a mid-back or even a high mid-back chair is the better choice.

How to choose an office chair: Material & build

When it comes to choosing an office chair, there are only two materials I think are worth exploring.

Mesh and fabric.

These are breathable materials, with mesh office chairs allowing the maximum airflow. In my experience, these are the top choices for staying cool when sitting at your desk all day. Mid-range and premium chairs often have more cleverly designed materials for improved comfort and breathability, such as the 3D knit found on the Branch Verve

Generally, mesh chairs with a mesh seat offer firm support. Fabric-covered foam seats are softer. Choose based on your preference - there's no right or wrong here. I found the Boulies OP180, with its firmer foam seat, offered a good middle ground between the two.

Avoid PU leather wherever possible - you'll find this on a lot of cheaper executive-style chairs and it's simply not as breathable as it needs to be for work, getting hot fast.

An exception to this is the hybrid leatherette material used on Secretlab's Titan Evo gaming chair. We had no issues with heat dissipation when using this one for longer play sessions and it's an incredibly comfortable chair anyway.

When it comes to build quality, the best options will have a steel base. However, a lot of budget and mid-range models use a lot of plastic to keep costs down.

So long as this plastic isn't too thin - creaking with every move you make and threatening to break if you simply look at it the wrong way - then I find them to be fine picks for the price.

How to choose an office chair: Ergonomics & adjustability

Arguably, this is the most important part when choosing an office chair. And it's something lacking on ultra-cheap chairs.

On ergonomics, the key design features to check are the backrest, which should be a contoured S-shaped to match the curve of your spine, and the seat itself, which ideally has a waterfall edge, sloping downwards to evenly distribute weight along your thighs and prevent cutting into your legs while you sit, reducing circulation.

Next, check the lumbar support. There are three main types of lumbar support. I've listed the differences below, but there are exceptions to this. For example, the Herman Miller Embody has a fixed lumbar support, but the backrest itself is dynamically engineered, so you get the benefits of a dynamic lumbar support system.

After this, you'll want to inspect adjustability. There are all manner of adjustments you can make to an office chair to fine-tune comfort levels, and that includes seat height, seat depth, recline, and tilt.

As a rule of thumb, these are the seat height ranges you'll want based on your height:

Armrests are the final adjustable component to check. There are multiple options available, but the best (and most common) options I recommend choosing is one with 2D or 3D armrests. I wouldn't choose an office chair with fixed armrests for the same reason I'd avoid most chairs with a fixed lumbar support. And unless it's a good price, 4D armrests don't deliver that much more than a 3D armrest set-up that the additional cost can command.

Here's how each works in practice:

How to choose an office chair: Extra features

That covers the most important factors when choosing an office chair that's right for you. But there are a few extra features it's worth checking for.

A lot of high mid-back chairs will often bundle in an optional headrest. Personally, I like a headrest, especially if it's adjustable. But they're rarely essential, as a taller backrest means your shoulders and neck are already well-supported.

Some chairs, particularly in the gaming space, come with lumbar support and headrest cushions, which can be a nice addition for extra comfort.

These features are par for the course. But you can go a lot further.

Take the LiberNovo Omni, for example. This is a stunningly well-designed electric office chair. So, with a built-in rechargeable battery, you can use the controls located on the armrest to adjust parts of the chair to your liking, a bit like using electric wing mirrors.

Or the Hinomi H2 Pro, which features a fold-down backrest. To my mind, it's an ideal chair for home-working, letting you slide it out of the way under the desk and transforming the home office into just another room of your house once the working day is over.

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