Some friendly advice on office chairs

A friend of mine asked me recently for some advice in selecting an Office Chair. She explained that she had seen what looked like a real bargain for an Office Chair at a local computer superstore.

I asked her what features the Office Chair had and she said that she wasn’t sure as she hadn’t examined it closely and wanted my advice on what to look for when selecting a suitable Office Chair.

I drew up a short Office Chair checklist for her listing points that she ought to consider before committing to buy the Office Chair.

Here’s my Office Chair checklist

1.    Is the Office Chair for occasional use or will it be used for several hours everyday? If it’s only occasional use then a        lot of my Office Chair criteria may not be that important.
2.    Is the Office Chair gas lift height adjustable?
3.    What warranty is offered with the Office Chair, 5 years is fairly standard, but on a very cheap chair it might only be        1 year.
4.    Does the Office Chair have arms and if so are the adjustable? This can help with  RSI if the chair is for regular use.
5.    Can the seat depth be adjusted on the Office Chair? Helps if you’re above or below average height.
6.    Is the back height of the Office Chair adjustable?
7.    Can you try it out in the store before you buy?
8.    Will the Office Chair finish and style fit in with the area you want to use it in?

I suggested that if she wasn’t getting the right answers to these questions that she look at alternatives from local seating specialists.

We spoke a week or two later and she thanked me for my advice and said that the Office Chair she had been looking at wasn’t suitable, but she had been able to find an excellent Office Chair from a local office interiors specialist.