TechRadar Verdict
Premium quality at a mid-range price defines the ErgoTune Supreme V3 office chair. There are certainly more comfortable chairs and those that specialise in different areas, but if you need a high-quality, highly-adjustable mesh chair to help with posture problems caused from sitting down all day, there are few better choices than this. Its plethora of adjustments should cater for most body sizes to sit comfortably all day. Just note that the stiff mesh seat and lumbar support might be too harsh for some.
Pros
- +
12-year warranty
- +
Excellent build quality
- +
Top-notch adjustability
Cons
- -
Narrow seat for some
- -
Lumbar support can feel harsh
- -
Recline resistance could be stronger
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ErgoTune Supreme V3: two-minute review
The ErgoTune Supreme V3 office chair looks like so many other cheap, no-brand, all-mesh alternatives on the market... and then you look a little more closely to quickly realize the quality on offer here.
While you need to assemble it yourself (at least in the US and Australia), outstanding instructions (with helpful tips about using boxes for support, plus ‘How To Build’ videos) make assembly simple. Everything fits together perfectly and you’re quickly facing a solid chair whose lines are both horizontal and vertical where they need to be.
Singapore-based parent company Northday has liaised with the enthusiastic community that has grown around the ErgoTune chair to identify areas of improvement for this third iteration of its Supreme model. Innovations include a three-axis adjustable neck rest, a wider, more adjustable lumbar support and improved height adjustment from the pneumatic base. These join existing features like highly adjustable arm rests (which move in-and-out, point inwards and outwards, and move up and down).
Despite the high-quality mesh fabric, it can feel rather stiff – especially in the first week of use. However, once I got used to the lumbar support, I stopped aching as much throughout the day. I did struggle with the (otherwise impressive) adjustable mesh seat, however. This reviewer’s big, Aussie backside was just too wide to be fully comfortable with it, being forced to sit on the solid slats that suspend the mesh. However, it’s worth noting that I had the same problem with Herman Miller’s largest Aeron (the industry’s ‘gold-standard’ mesh chair), which is considerably more expensive.
There was also a gripe concerning reclining. For a big guy, the settings are essentially fixed upright, loose, looser or very loose. I suspect that ErgoTune’s expansion out of Singapore, into Western markets, may require some updated average-person measurements.
Nonetheless, although these issues made this particular reviewer struggle to relax in the chair, working in it day in and day out saw him suffer far fewer aches when clocking off for the day. Not everyone will experience these problems – especially those with more dainty derrières.
Ultimately, it feels very high quality and is backed with an impressive 12-year warranty. You can certainly buy cheaper chairs, but the ErgoTune Supreme V3 ranks up there with some of the best office chairs on the market (which exist in much higher price brackets).
ErgoTune Supreme V3 review: Price and availability
ErgoTune Supreme V3 review: Price and availability
- How much does it cost? AU$749 / SG$599
- When is it out? Available to buy now
- Where can you get it? Currently available in the US, Australia and Singapore direct from ErgoTune or parent brand NorthDay, as well as on Amazon
Having started life in Singapore, the ErgoTune Supreme V3 arrived in Australia in 2021 and then made its way to the US market early in 2023.
What's quite striking about the ErgoTune Supreme V3 is its competitive pricing: it will set you back $569 in the US, AU$749 in Australia and SG$599 in Singapore.
There are many cheaper alternatives, but none offer the quality or adjustability on offer here. Alternative high-quality mesh office chairs include the NeueChair ($729 / AU$1,229 / SG$1,169) and the classic Herman Miller Aeron ($1,535 / AU$2,095 / SG$2,679). The former’s mesh feels lower quality and its less adjustable. The Aeron can be more comfortable but offers less posture support – and is considerably more expensive. This means the ErgoTune Supreme V3 punches well above its weight and is great value.
- Value: 4.5 / 5
ErgoTune Supreme V3 Office Chair review: Design and features
- New adjustments for lumbar, neck and height
ErgoTune is based in Singapore and has developed an enthusiastic following. It’s good to know that the company has liaised with this group to design the innovations that make up this third iteration (V3) of the ErgoTune Supreme.
It offers a very solid, five-feet, wheeled base that feels fully planted (and yet very moveable) both on carpet and hard floors. This connects to the upper portion via a high-quality pneumatic stem. The V3 now comes with three options of this for different heights: Petite (140cm – 159cm), Standard (160cm – 179cm) and Tall (180cm – 210cm). When I was first sent the Supreme V3 for review, supply chain issues meant that I received the Tall stem later, by which time the default Standard stem was fully wedged and not coming out. Still, the standard stem suited my 189cm height just fine. The new Petite stem will suit shorter people who don’t like their legs dangling off the ground.
There are two levers just below the seat and both can be lifted to make serious movement adjustments or twisted into a number of positions to adjust tension and motion locks. The left lever allows the seat to move forward and back to a generous degree, so that everyone should be able to sit with their lower legs pointing straight down. Twisting the lever enables the back rest to recline or be locked in place. The right lever allows the pneumatic stem to raise or lower the seat, while twisting it changes the looseness of the backrest’s movement.
The adjustable lumbar support’s protrusion takes some getting used to as you can’t avoid it – even if on some occasions you might wish you could. It certainly can support your back better than most rivals, but it’s very stiff, and the rotating bars behind it only allow for adjustments that range through fixed, firm or medium tension. I know it’s doing me good, especially in the long run, but sometimes you need to slouch for a moment!
The seatback is simple to adjust to nine different height settings. I'm also a very big fan of the neck rest. While I was initially concerned that the latter’s three-axis adjustment might be a little loose, I learned that the tilt, height and depth settings made it simple to snuggle it into my neck for comfortable support without putting any forward pressure on my head.
The arm rests deserve a special mention. Not only do they rotate on the primary pivot, they can rotate on an additional pivot in front of that. This allows them to move in (towards your body) or further away from it, and also to have the rests point inwards or outwards. The latter movement is useful as the firmness can make for sore elbows after extended periods, but twisting them outwards alleviates this problem.
- Design: 4.5 / 5
ErgoTune Supreme V3 Office Chair review: Comfort
- It’s no La-Z-Boy comfy chair, but it’s better for you
If you can imagine what a very firm, mesh-based posture chair might feel like to sit in all day – ensuring that your back is well supported at all times – then you’ve got a good idea of the ErgoTune Supreme V3. It’s good for you in the same way that a probing, remedial massage is good for you, but it’s not the equivalent of a relaxing, oil-based, Thai full-body massage.
The mesh is a special product called DuraWeave (from Germany) and it’s impressively sag resistant. It’s just a shame that I found the seat a little narrow in that I was sitting on the solid, supporting slats rather than the looser mesh, but this won’t be an issue for everyone.
Nonetheless, the mesh ensures that you are kept cool and breathable all day – which is important in hot and humid climes. It’s also more hygienic over time due to the ‘pass-through ability’ concerning bodily emissions. In this sense, it’s very different to the epic (in terms of both comfort and price) Logitech x Herman Miller Embody chair, but only slightly different to its sibling Aeron, which is softer and a bit more comfortable but doesn’t have nearly as good posture support.
ErgoTune claims this is a chair to relax in – largely due to the recline mode – but this is where I struggled most. The recline feature was just too loose for my long, heavy body. However, this won’t be an issue for smaller, lighter people.
Ultimately, comfort is a relative thing. Sitting in a beanbag all day might seem comfortable until you get up. I’ve sat in enough dodgy, office chairs to respect that the ErgoTune Supreme V3 doles out some tough love, in that you can sit in it all day and get up and happily move around afterwards… in comfort! Not many other chairs (especially at this price) allow that.
- Comfort: 4 / 5
Should you buy the ErgoTune Supreme V3?
Buy it if...
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ErgoTune Supreme V3: Report card
| Value | This office chair, as reviewed, isn't the cheapest option, with more affordable models available. But none will match the features, comfort and support levels this one offers. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Design | With a plethora of adjustments to choose from and suitable for people of different heights, this chair scores well. | 4.5 / 5 |
| Comfort | It might hurt for a while, but once you realise how well it's supporting your body, you'll stop complaining. | 4 / 5 |
| Total | The ErgoTune Supreme V3 may not be the most affordable option on the market, but it is well priced, just as customizable as most of its more expensive competitors and offers great bang for buck. All backed by a 12-year warranty. | 4.5 / 5 |
[First reviewed August 2022]
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