Inside an office chair: gas lift, base, tilt mechanism
The chair in which the working day is spent is assembled from four nodes. Each can be checked before purchase.
If you sit at a desk for less than two hours a day, almost any chair will do. From four and more, what is not visible in the photo begins to matter.
Four nodes from which it is assembled
- —Gas lift — adjusts the height; for a weight of more than 100 kg, class 4 is required
- —The crossbar is metal or reinforced nylon, it is it that takes the weight
- —The rocking mechanism must be fixed, otherwise the backrest works against the back
- —The back is a membrane mesh, dense fabric or eco-leather
The maximum load is not a formality
This is a line in the specifications that shows what's inside. The class of gas lift and the type of crossbar depend on it: in models for heavier weight, they are different physically, and not "strengthened" in words.
If your weight is close to the limit, take a model with a margin: it's not the number that works, but how many cycles the mechanism will withstand under your load.
Seat depth is the line that is skipped
Sitting too deep makes you either slide forward or sit on the edge: the edge presses under the knees and constricts blood circulation. The correct depth is when 3–5 cm remains between the bend of the knee and the edge of the seat.
In the characteristics of office chairs, "Seat depth" is separate from the overall depth of the chair. These are different numbers and you need the first one.
Back: mesh or fabric
The membrane mesh is ventilated - in the summer, the back does not sweat in it, and this is the main reason why it is taken. Dense fabric and eco-leather are warmer and quieter, but you can feel it in the summer.
The second thing they look at in the back is lumbar support. It is either as a separate performance or adjustment, or it is not there; it is visible in the description of the model.
Armrests
Adjusting the height of the armrests is more important than their presence: if they are not adjustable, they either rest against the tabletop, and the chair does not move under the table, or they hang too low and do not relieve the shoulders.
Check the height of your table top and the height of the armrest in the specifications - it's two-minute arithmetic that decides whether the chair will fit into place.
