For many, it has now become commonplace to work on “remote front” from home. They spend long time in front of screen of monitor or laptop both on work issues and in computer games. Key to comfortable fit at computer — proper chair.

Purpose

Chairs for home can be divided into three large subcategories: ergonomic models, orthopedic and gaming.

Ergonomic chairs are designed for long-term work at the computer - from 5 hours a day or more. Their distinguishing features are the anatomical shape of seat with a high concave back (lumbar protrusion). Such chairs are designed for long-term use and prevention of problems with vertebral part - they prevent postural curvature, lumbar hernia, osteochondrosis, etc.

Orthopedic models are developed taking into account recommendations of orthopedic doctors or approved by them. They are designed so that you can sit in chair straight and correctly - with such position of back, as if person is standing. As rule, orthopedic chairs "work" only in cases where doctor's recommendations are followed. And they are aimed more at correcting existing problems with musculoskeletal system. According to correct orthopedic models are selected strictly individually.

Note that in practice, difference between ergonomic and orthopedic models is often very blurry. Latter are often called highly ergonomic at all, and their key difference from conventional ergonomic chairs is shift in load on muscles when position of the body is changed.

Advanced gaming chairs can be decorated with RGB lighting systems.

Universal options for home computer chairs are gaming models. They allow you to work or play for hours on end, have large range of adjustments, and have stylish appearance that is reminiscent of design of seats in racing cars. Seat in gaming chairs is moderately elastic, and back support is either not pronounced, or it is carried out by special pillow.

Interesting fact. Some gaming chairs have built-in RGB lighting systems - this is characteristic attribute of many gaming devices that allows you to create special atmosphere when organizing gaming place.

For office, there are also several types of computer chairs for their intended purpose: models for staff, for managers and for visitors.

Staff chairs are ergonomic models designed to reduce employee fatigue, increase their comfort and work motivation. Emphasis in these models is on practicality - staff chairs have swivel mechanisms, backrest, armrest and seat adjustments. Most of these furniture are quite comfortable for long sedentary work, including those cases when you have to get up often.

Models for managers are often called "director's". They look high-status and last long time, are very advanced in terms of fit adjustments and are characterized by maximum comfort. Chair of the head reflects taste of the owner and forms image of company.

Simplest version of chairs - models for visitors. Functionality of such chairs is basic, since they do not require long-term use (over 1 - 2 hours by one person). Often chairs for visitors are installed in reception of clinics, banking institutions and other organizations. They serve to wait for clients in queue for reception, to communicate with staff, etc.

Popular gaming chairs

seat

Ideally, seat of computer chair should be moderately soft and elastic, take form of person’s “fifth point”, and be adjustable in height. Optimum seat depth - when landing, there should be palm-width distance between bend of the knee and edge of the seat. If it is less, you will slide out of the chair; if it is more, you will sink into the seat. In addition, excess pressure under bent knee leads to squeezing of blood vessels, swelling of legs and general fatigue.

Small recess in seat center will allow you to sit fixedly without moving. And downwardly curved front edge will prevent congestion in legs veins. It is important that the seat depth is suitable for height of the user. Short people should not take chairs with deep landing - in this case, legs will be in tension or they will have to sit on the edge of the chair, which loses lumbar support.

To the frequent question “How to choose computer chair by height?” it is difficult to give definite answer. All factors should be considered together. Main thing is that when choosing chair for height, height of the seat should be such that the legs of entire foot stand on the floor. Knees should be at or slightly below the level of the hip joints with an angle of bend under the knee of the order of 90⁰ - 130⁰.

With proper posture, many back and musculoskeletal problems can be prevented.

As for seating comfort, medium-hard seats are considered most versatile. But this is an individual moment. Just consider fact that chairs with soft seat often lead to development of stoop and various diseases of pelvic organs, and it is simply uncomfortable to sit on hard seat for a long time.

Height adjustable office chairs

Shape and dimensions of the back

Important attribute of comfortable fit is shape and size of the back of chair. It is best if it is as close to user's back as possible and has maximum number of points of contact. Bend of the back should be at the level of lower back - not lower and not higher. Many models have backrest height adjustmentso that you can adjust the position of this bend for specific user. Lateral projections in the back design will help maintain correct posture. They look like characteristic "wings" that cover back on the sides. The more back is adjacent to the back of chair, the easier it is to sit in it for long hours without the slightest sign of fatigue.

In some chairs, backrest consists of several separate elements that can be adjusted independently of each other.

Some users may find presence of curved backrest uncomfortable. Here, armchairs will come in handy, where lumbar support is implemented with the help of removable rollers or pillows. We will talk about them little further in the text.

Important role is played by height of the back of computer chair. If you really have to sit for a long time, you should look at models with back height of about 65 cm. Upper part of high back will serve as additional support for shoulders and minimize stress in collar area.

High Back Office Chairs

armrests

Armrests help relieve stress from arm muscles and act as support for forearm. At minimum, it is worth considering models of chairs with adjustable armrests in height. It is customary to designate them with the abbreviation 1D - if necessary, the handles are easily lowered so that chair can safely drive under the table. In 2D armrests, in addition to height adjustments, the ability to adjust position of handles according to the angle of deviation (right-left along the axis) is added. 3D-armrests imply three positions of adjustment - in height, angle of deviation and removal back and forth. The most advanced option is 4D armrests with additional width handles adjustment.

Most adjustments in different planes are provided by design of 4D armrests.

The more adjustments armrests have, the more likely it is to encounter backlash in their design. And even in top models of computer chairs. Such troubles are excluded in models with non-adjustable armrests. You can also buy chair without armrests at all - we note that this is the only right decision when choosing computer chair for child. If in adult models armrests are needed so that person can relax and take comfortable position, in child seats such detail provokes the development of scoliosis and its presence is contraindicated. The fact is that children, on whim, try to take the most comfortable position for themselves, which is by no means always correct. This leads to uneven load on spine and habit of sitting unevenly develops into posture problems.

Adjustments

It is impossible to create an ideal computer chair that would suit everyone without exception. However, many chair models can be flexibly adjusted to the needs of particular user to ensure most comfortable fit.

Of basic adjustments, it is important to be able to adjust the seat height, backrest tilt, armrest height. Then it all depends on price category of the chair and user preferences. So, in advanced models there are additional depth adjustments and seat tilt , back height, entire chair tilt (while the back and seat remain motionless relative to each other, and chair can be fixed at any available tilt angle).

Adjustments are directly related to tilt mechanisms in chair design. More details about all main types of mechanisms are described in separate material “Overview of tilt mechanisms in computer chairs: the pros and cons of each type”. Here we highlight the most common types of mechanisms that help relieve tension from the back muscles during the tilt:

  • top gun ( tilt and deep-tilt) - the most popular tilt mechanism that allows you to adjust the height of chair, tilt in it or fix the back in vertical position, adjust tilt stiffness ; in the case of deep-tilt, it is additionally possible to lean back far, to practically lying position;
  • multiblock ( multiblock) - to adjust the height and elasticity of tilt, fixing the angle of inclination of entire chair in several selected positions is added; models with multiblock mechanism are often equipped with anti-shock system, which allows chair to smoothly return to its working position without jerks and shocks;
  • synchro-mechanism - improved modification of multiblock, providing for movable connection of seat back; it is configured in such way that back, when tilted back, deviates twice as far as the seat - this ratio is most convenient for person; additional features include fixing back in several positions, an anti-shock system and tilt stiffness adjustment.
In armchairs with synchro-mechanism, backrest deviates twice as far as the seat when adjusted at the same time.

In inexpensive models of chairs, simple mechanisms of "permanent contact" and "piastre" types are often found with minimum of available adjustments. And in segment of advanced computer chairs, it’s sin not to mention anyfix and multifix mechanisms that allow you to fix chair tilt in any intermediate position.

Intermediate link between tilt mechanism and base of the chair is gas lift, which is directly responsible for adjusting height of the seat and providing little cushioning. In fact, this is a lifting mechanism with gas spring. In total, there are four classes of gas lifts:

  • Class 1 - cylinder wall thickness not less than 1.2 mm, maximum load 80 - 100 kg;
  • Class 2 - cylinder 1.5 mm, load 100 - 120 kg;
  • Class 3 - cylinder 2.0 mm, load up to 150 kg;
  • Class 4 - cylinder 2.5 mm, load up to 200 kg.
Gas lift is responsible for adjusting seat height and provides little cushioning.

It is desirable to clarify specific norms of permissible weight for selected chair, regardless of gas lift class installed in it.

Filler and upholstery materials

As padding for seat, back and headrest of computer chairs, foam or polyurethane foam is usually used, much less often - thermoplastic elastomer:

  • foam rubber - breathable material familiar to many by gluing cracks in old wooden windows for the winter; as rule, foam rubber is supplied in blocks of various thicknesses, from which the desired shapes are then cut;
  • polyurethane foam - in fact, this is the same foam rubber, but more dense and rigid; polyurethane foam stuffing is made molded - required thickness, shape and with anatomical profile;
  • thermoplastic elastomer - elastic synthetic rubber that resembles rubber in tactile sensations; such material is quite easily subjected to deformation, and then quickly takes its former shape; thermoplastic elastomer has high durability, does not interact with sweat in any way and is resistant to the spread of bacteria; as filler it is used in top models of chairs.

Outer upholstery of computer chairs can be made from wide variety of materials and their combinations. The most widely used coatings are:

  • fabric - various types of synthetic fabrics with main advantages in form of good ventilation, providing comfort in heat, durable structure and ease of repair; however, it is difficult to remove dirt from textile upholstery (for example, from spilled cup of coffee), and dust often collects in the fabric fibers;
  • mesh - meshes are made of various materials, but in any case they are distinguished by good ventilation; most often, backs of computer chairs have mesh structure, occasionally seat covers are made from mesh;
  • genuine leather is valued not so much for its practical properties, but for its stylish and rich appearance; such coatings are durable and quite pleasant to touch, but are sensitive to scratches and are not suitable for hot weather; use of genuine leather is typical for top-class models;
  • artificial leather - artificial analogue of natural leather; it is cheaper and is unpretentious in care, however, it has shorter service life and tendency to scuff formation.
Often, chairs combine different upholstery materials - for example, fabric and genuine leather.

From the point of view of practicality, textile upholstery looks like best option in terms of combination of qualities. However, quality of fabric is most often associated with its cost and, accordingly, the price of computer chair.

Office chairs with lumbar support

Neck and lumbar support

In chairs with flat back or insufficiently pronounced bend , special pillows are often assigned to the role of lumbar support. Main thing is to fix pillow so that it is clearly in the lumbar zone and does not rest against buttocks or shoulder blades. Lumbar support rollers are only comfortable with flat seat - if you often change body position in chair, they begin to interfere.

Pillows for neck and lumbar support can often be purchased separately.

Headrest can be used to support neck and head in computer chairs. Head restraints with height and depth adjustments work best, so that you can lean on it not only in reclining position, but also in working position. More optimal option is when headrest also has angle adjustment, which further reduces fatigue. Also, in the back of many chairs, special slots are often made for attaching neck support pillows to belts.

To minimize fatigue of lower extremities during long gatherings in the chair helps footrest. Usually it is made retractable and is located under seat during “non-working” hours. Such stand is attribute of gaming and "director's" chairs.

Base and wheels

Basis for computer chairs is usually five-beam cross, which evenly distributes the load on rollers to move the chair. This structural element is made of plastic or metal. Plastic crosses are cheaper and lighter, but not designed for high loads. Metal crosses withstand greater load, are more durable, but are heavier and more expensive. When choosing chair for user with obese physique, it is desirable to give preference to models with metal cross. Occasionally on sale there are computer chairs with wooden base - they will fit in with corresponding interiors of premises.

Main load falls on cross of the computer chair.

Wheels that provide movement of chair are hard polypropylene, polyamide, semi-soft nylon and soft polyurethane. When placing chair on hard floor coverings such as laminate or parquet, it is preferable to choose chair with soft rollers that will not scratch the floor. And on carpets, linoleum, hard wheels behave much better.

As for rotation of the wheels, it is easier to change direction of the rollers, consisting of two separately rotating halves. In some cases, wheels are supplied with mechanical stoppers, so that you can fix chair motionless. Well, the appearance of rollers is matter of taste and it does not affect the performance of chair in any way.


Our final advice to you - be sure to try on chair for yourself before purchasing. In showrooms of many large electronics and home appliances stores, computer chairs are on display so that everyone can sit in them and get their impression of seat comfort .