Your personal comfort is the most important consideration when selecting a chair. In addition to finding a chair with a seat height and depth that best fits your body type, look at the chair's adjustable comfort features that are important to you (arms, back, lumbar support). Also consider how skilled you are at putting things together and whether ease of assembly is important to you.

Here are other important considerations when shopping for an office chair:

  • Take your time. Experts agree that you have to try a chair for more than a few minutes in the store. Check with the retailer on their return policy. To know if the chair you're considering is right for you, have it delivered to your office and work in it for several days. If it turns out that you're not comfortable in it, don't be afraid to send it back. When equipping an entire company with chairs, it's impractical to custom-fit each employee. Rather, you'll want a chair that's sufficiently adjustable to fit most of your workers.
  • How do you use your desk? Do you lean forward a lot, working on paperwork or a computer? If so, you need what's referred to today as a task chair, which is what we've addressed in this report. Workers who lean back a lot, while talking on the phone, for example, will benefit from a different kind of chair. However, some newer task chairs, especially the Generation by Knoll, are built to provide comfort in a range of sitting postures.
  • Allow for proper blood circulation. Look for a seat with a rounded front edge, which helps blood circulation in the legs. Look for a good proportion -- your feet should be firmly planted on the floor. An improperly proportioned chair will stop just behind the knees and cut off circulation. Make sure there's at least one extra inch of chair extending beyond your hips for comfort and thigh support.
  • Will the chair roll around on carpet or a hard floor? The casters may not roll as smoothly on one type of surface as on another. Also, the overall seat height with casters should ensure that your feet are always flat on the floor.
  • Cloth, leather or vinyl? Vinyl and leather clean easily, but they can trap heat because they don't breathe well. Cloth is usually more comfortable, but if you eat at your desk a lot, spills will eventually show. With newer mesh models this won't be a factor.

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