Due to the fact that you have to stay all day at a desk, the chair becomes an important piece of the furniture and has to be seriously taken into consideration when buying a new one. The right chair is not only comfortable and nice, it has to avoid developing back problems, headaches, pain in the neck and shoulders, pain in the knees and problems with concentration. That’s why, in the following article you will discover the best PC chair types and their important features, which have to be known before buying a new one.
Best PC Chair Buying Guide
A good chair has to meet a couple of characteristics, which can be found in the next simple buying guide, in order to be the best PC chair for you. The chairs come in various sizes and have many functions and you should buy one according to your needs and preferences, for example depending on how many hours you’ll spend on the chair and for which purposes you’ll use it.
Chair Types
First of all, you have to stop at a particular design and functionality of your future office chair and fortunately there are a bunch of types and different styles of chairs from which you can choose from. In the following lines you’ll find a list with some of the most comfortable and used types of PC chairs.
Conventional office chairs are the type of chairs that have a seat and a back that are covered with leather, vinyl or other fabrics. Some of them can also be equipped with armrests and headrests and their support is usually represented by a swivel base, caster or four legs. Kneeling chairs or balance chairs put users into a position that is similar to kneeling. This concept may seem a little bizarre, but in fact it has great benefits for the person who uses them because it reduces lower back strain and has great advantages for a balanced spine alignment. Exercise ball chair is another type of office chair that brings everything to the next level. The chair is actually composed from a basic chair structure with a large ball as a seat, which promotes active sitting. Users will have to constantly move their legs in order to make different balance adjustments, which will keep their muscles active and their blood circulation busy. Saddle chairs have the seat’s shape of a horseback with no backrests, being in the same time with over 20-30 cm higher than a traditional office chair. Due to this fact, users who resort to one of this chairs have to keep in mind that their desks also have to be higher. This type of chairs are suitable for persons who want to keep their spine in the natural “S” shape, which will eliminate back and shoulder pain. Recliner chairs have great advantages for people who have problems with lumbar spinal stenosis. Being in such a position at the desk some people may feel very comfortable while working. Also, users are able to use small tables and attach them to their recliner chair.
Now, we go on to the things you have to consider when buying an office chair and for this purpose we made a simple little guide to help you:
Adjustable height
The most important thing that an office chair has to be able to do is to adjust its height in order to properly align with the computer desk. Due to the fact that people are shorter or taller, the chair has to have the ability to adjust its height, so that when the person in cause looks at the monitor it should be able to look directly at it. Also, when setting up your chair’s height you should know that the optimal position when you are sitting in front of your desk is when your thighs are horizontal to the floor. Furthermore, there are some chairs that permit to adjust their backrests by moving them forward or backward. When the desired position is obtained, the backrests are blocked with a locking mechanism so that they won’t suddenly move.
Lumbar Support
Lower back or lumbar support is a very important characteristic that an office chair has to be equipped with. This is essential because it will maintain the correct position of your spine and it will offer a more comfortable position to your back. Basically, the lumbar spine has the shape of an inward curve and has to be supported by the chair if you don’t want to get compression on the lumbar discs.
Seat
The seat’s size has to be not too smaller or too bigger than you actually need. They come in different sizes, but generally it has the width between 17 and 20 inches. So, keep in mind that the size and depth of you chair can really help you stay comfortable when you’re at your desk and working. Furthermore, note that there some chairs also permit users to move the seat forward or backward.
Armrests
Another thing you may take into consideration when buying a new office chair is to verify if the armrests are adjustable. They have to be positioned in such a way so that they will be at the same level with the height of your desk. It’s very important for each person to set their armrests depending on their own working style and requirements. In addition, some chairs permit users to detach the armrests if some of you don’t need them when you are doing a certain thing.
Material
The material of the office chair has to be made from fabrics of the best quality in order to be more comfortable when you sit down. Basically, the material has to permit your body to breathe, even when you are stuck to the chair for extended periods of time. The best material for chairs is cloth (for example, the mesh Pellicle), which is better than leather or any materials. It isn’t as easy to clean as other surfaces are, but it offers a more comfortable sitting and this is what everybody is searching for. We don’t recommend the leather or vinyl material because of the fact that they are hard materials and you will probably perspire more often than on any other fabrics.