Ergonomic Chair Guides, Reviews And Ratings
Consumer And Buyer Information On Ergonomic Chairs
- Best ergonomic office chairs.
- Best ergonomic office chairs on a budget.
- What to look for when buying an ergonomic chair.
- How to choose an ergonomic chair that is right for you.
Top Ergonomic Chair Manufacturers and Brands
There are dozens if not hundreds of ergonomic chair manufacturers and brands worldwide. Most of these brands are rather generic and only market their products as ergonomic, even though their products have very few ergonomic qualities. The most well known ergonomic chair brands design and engineer their products from the ground up with ergonomics in mind. The following are some of the most innovative and well known ergonomic chair manufacturers.
Herman Miller is the most well known manufacturer of not only ergonomic chairs but ergonomic office products. Through product sale and services Herman Miller has annual sales of over $ 2.5 billion dollars. They are most well known for producing ground breaking ergonomic chair designs. Herman Miller is also known for their leadership in producing environmentally sound products. Their Aeron chair and Embody chair lines are the most recognized brands of ergonomic chairs in the world today. Read our manufacturer review to learn more about Herman Miller. To learn more about Herman Miller chairs read our extensive reviews of their product line; including the Aeron chair and the Embody chair.
SteelCase is arguably one of the most recognized brand names in office furniture. It is without a doubt the largest manufacturer and distributor of traditional office products as well as ergonomic seating in the world. They have been producing innovative office products for nearly a hundred years and have grown into a large international manufacturing power house. Steelcase is the largest manufacture of office chairs in the world. In the ergonomic chair arena their most recent innovations have been their Leap and Think chairs. Read our review of SteelCase to get an overview of the company and their innovative ergonomic chair products. Read the individual product reviews for more in-depth information about the Leap and Think SteelCase chairs.
HumanScale produces a wide range of ergonomic office products. However, they have a limited ergonomic chair product line. In their chair design they emphasize simplicity over form. In general their designs focus on a holistic approach to ergonomics in the work environment. Read our article about HumanScale to learn more about this company. To learn more about their two primary lines of ergonomic chairs read the reviews on the Liberty chair and Freedom chair.
Neutral Posture emphasizes a “neutral posture” in their chair design. Where as many ergonomic chair designs emphasize holding, or encouraging, a users body in the proper position for good posture. Neutral Posture designs also emphasize reducing pressure on body muscles that would put excessive strain on musculoskeletal system. Read the review of Neutral Posture for more information on this innovative manufacture and their philosophy. There are also extensive reviews on Neutral Posture chairs.
The Raynor Group started out as a marketing firm supporting office seating manufacturers. Over the last 25 years this company has evolved from a marketer to a manufacturer. Although the company focuses on a select few distributors it has an extensive world wide distribution network. It boasts over $1 billion a year in ergonomic product sales and services. It produces the Eurotech line of ergonomic desk chairs. Of which the ErgoHuman chair brand is their most well known product. See our manufacturer review for more information on Raynor Eurtech. There is also extensive information on the ErgoHuman chair.
Office Star produces an extensive line of office chairs. However, they only have one brand within one product line that has ergonomic design aspects. Their WorkSmart product line has one chair named Ergonomic Cloth and Ergonomic Leather. Neither of these chairs are really ergonomic in its true meaning. There is lumbar support and a few adjustments but no real design emphasizing reduction of pressure on the musculoskeletal system.
ErgoGenesis LLC is the manufacturer BodyBilt ergonomic office chairs. It is a unique manufacturer in that it hand makes all of its ergonomic office chairs by hand at their Navasota, Texas, headquarters. Not all of their chairs are strictly custom built as you can purchase directly standard configurations. However, if you have special needs you can actually work directly on a one on one basis with, what they call an “Ergo Assisstant.” They is definitely a unique customer oriented approach that all the other most well known ergonomic chair manufacturers. To learn more about BodyBilt read the manufacturer review. Also, available, is more information on the full line of BodyBilt chair offerings.
A Few Last Words On Ergonomic Chair Brands
There are very few chair manufacturers whose primary focus is ergonomics; and even fewer whose primary focus is on ergonomic chairs. For most, ergonomic chairs are only a part, and not the emphasis, of their product line. Most manufacturers whose chairs are not truly ergonomic emphasize, in their marketing materials, that comfort is the most important aspect of a chair.
Reading this you can tell they miss the point of ergonomic chairs. All chairs are made to be comfortable.
Ergonomic chairs are designed to be comfortable and reduce the long term effects of musculoskeletal pressure realized from extended periods of being seated in one position. There are no laws or regulations governing the use of the word ergonomic. Some office chair manufacturers will market their chairs as ergonomic when they are really not. Many do this so they can charge a higher price. Ergonomic chairs are usually more expensive because a lot more design work goes into them. Moreover, they are usually made of higher quality parts and materials.
Just because a chair has a lumbar support and a few adjustments does not make it an ergonomic chair. (Insert link and statement to article “what makes a chair ergonomic”. Do not be fooled into paying a higher price for a chair that does not deliver on its promise. We have put together this ergonomic chair guide to help you make an informed choice. Ergonomic chairs cost more than customary office chairs. Buying an ergonomic chair should not be seen as an expense but as an investment into your long term health and productivity.
A Few Words About Ergonomic Chairs
If you have read this far on this page then you have a real interest in ergonomic chairs and making a good investment in the one that is right for you. Most people looking for ergonomic chairs are really looking for ergonomic desk chairs. There is a lot of confusion between terms such as ergonomic task chairs and ergonomic desk chairs. In all the user reviews and all the research I have done putting this site together the biggest issue that I have come across is people buying the wrong chair for the wrong job.
To make things worse many retailers use a lot of terminology interchangeably. Keep in mind there are a lot of different types of ergonomic office chairs on the market, many of which are marketed as being usable in all seating situations. The plain fact of the matter is that ergonomic task chairs are NOT the same as ergonomic desk chairs. Ergonomic task chairs are not intended for long terms use. Whereas ergonomic desk chairs are designed for longer use and are made to not only support you ergonomically for longer periods of time, but they are also designed to be more durable and withstand the extended use.
Although they may have many of the same characteristics as an ergonomic desk chair they are not meant to be sat in as long of a period of time as an ergonomic desk chair. Ergonomic desk chairs can be used as task chairs, but their cost is usually prohibitive for this function. But, ergonomic task chairs should not be used as a desk chair. They can be used this way but it is better not to. So, be sure you choose the right type of ergonomic chair.
