FlexiSpot BS10 back support ergonomic office chair review

FlexiSpot carved itself a well-deserved reputation in office furniture, one that it consolidated during the pandemic and the lockdown when everyone scrambled to get hold of the best standing desks and all the best office chairs. The BS10 is its most expensive chair to date and positions itself above the Oka BS9. Its key features include an adjustable headrest, a movable lumbar support, versatile chair controls and adjustable armrests. On paper, this ergonomic chair ticks all the boxes although each individual is likely to have their own subjective take on every single piece of furniture they sit on, especially if it is marketed as an ergonomic one. We couldn’t help however, marking it down because of its steep price tag. Something tells us though that this is done deliberately so that the discounts during key selling periods (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Presidents Day, etc.) are magnified. Ultimately, it is economically and logistically impossible to review the hundreds of ergonomic chairs that offer lumbar support and headrest.

Pricing and availability

The BS10 costs £399.99 at FlexiSpot with free delivery. The chair is known as the OC13 in the US and it is on sale for $379.99 at the time of writing although you should be able to get that down even further using the plethora of coupon codes available online. FlexiSpot operates in Canada, Denmark, the UK, France, Japan, Italy, Spain, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Design and build quality

FlexiSpot’s top of the range chair came in a big box and was easy to put together. I spent around 20 minutes putting it up solo, a fraction of which was reading the manual. Pay attention to the pictures, not to the description as - for once - it’s the words that may confuse you. The most difficult part was shoving the seat on the pillar that sat on the set of wheels. Some reviewers mentioned the use of a hammer for the nylon caster wheels but we didn’t need one.

This BS10 only comes in one color, gray, and its design can be described as being retropunk. It’s the sort of color scheme I’d associate with the Sinclair C5 or the Commodore C64. FlexiSpot uses mesh fabric for the bulk of the chair (the back and the seated area), a breathable, light material that is great for long working sessions and is comfortable even when it is hot.

The adjustable headrest is flexible enough for more users albeit with limited use if you don’t rest your head that often. We loved the fact that it is tiltable. 

The two armrests - which are made of what looks like ABS plastic - are of decent size and can rotate outwards and move up and down.

There’s also a pair of controls that allow the user to change the chair settings granularly. The seat can also be pulled out, a first that we’ve seen in a chair.

In use

The chair can support users weighing up to 125Kg (275lb); it weighs 20Kg (44lb) by itself but the wheels make it a doddle to move. The BS10 occupies a sizable surface area, far more than your average secretary chair. The lumbar support was comfortable as well, with the added benefit of being able to move up or down by about 10cm. The walnut finish at the back is a thoughtful design addition that marries well with the overall chair aesthetics.

Testing a chair presents its own challenges as there are so many different variables involved. From your height, the shape of your body, your weight, personal preferences, down to the type of clothes you wear and how you work at your table. Oh and lets not forget existing back/neck/lumbar problems.

Personally, I considered it - as a 5ft9 person - to be comfortable even for long periods but then a friend, who stands at less than 5ft, noted that her feet wouldn’t touch the floor when she sat on the BS10. The back and the lumbar support were firm enough without being distracting and the headrest did occasionally provide some needed support.

I did find the BS10 slightly noisy when moving on the caster wheels but that might have been due to the surface to the floor itself. One last thing; FlexiSpot provides a short 1-year warranty on the chair which is a bit of a let down. Also missing from the feature list are an integrated rack behind the headrest to hang a coat or a bag plus a built-in footrest.

Final verdict

The BS10 from FlexiSpot is probably the best office chair I’ve used to date but then again I’ve only probably sat on 10 of them in my entire life. Out of the hundreds, if not thousands of models out there. FlexiSpot’s flagship ticks all the boxes - it is well designed, easy to put together, excellent when it comes to features and ergonomics.

We still think its price tag is too high for what is essentially a glorified office chair that costs as much as a standing desk. Expect FlexiSpot to go heavy on discounts come Black Friday or Cyber Monday and that would be when I’d buy the BS10.

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