I tested a $400 ergonomic office chair with adjustable lumbar support for over 200 hours - and my back is thanking me
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- Top-quality office chairs make it easier for you to put in long hours without shoulder or back aches.
- Best known for their sit-stand desks, Uplift Desk recently introduced an ergonomic chair that has a ribbed design that mimics your vertebrae.
- I especially liked that there were five different ways to adjust the chair to ensure that I was as comfortable as possible.
- The Uplift Vert Ergonomic Office Chair is a mid-range option (currently $399 on the Uplift Desk website), but it has many features that you would expect from more expensive chairs, such as adjustable lumbar support.
The average full-time office worker spends about 2,000 hours per year at their desk. If you spend that much of your life doing anything, you want to be as comfortable as possible, right? Plus, your posture and comfort during those work hours will have a major impact on how your body feels when you're off the clock. Therefore, one of the biggest factors in determining your contentment is the type of office chair you use.
Founded in 2002, Uplift Desk has focused on making the office work environment more ergonomic. Their products include standing desks, height-adjustable desks, stools, motion boards, and an array of other helpful office accessories. Uplift Desk recently sent me a variety of their products for free to test out. Below, we will look at how the Uplift Vert Ergonomic Office Chair stood up after 200 hours of use.
My first experiences with the Uplift Desk Chair
I am the worst at assembling just about anything. After unboxing the Uplift Vert Ergonomic Office Chair, I went to put it together and noticed there was no baggy with the screws and such in it. "They forgot to pack it," I thought. So, I contacted Uplift Desk, and they next-day mailed the pieces to me. Then, as I went to put the chair together, I noticed that it came with the fasteners already in place. I just needed to unscrew them and put them back in again with the parts connected. Duh!
Despite my blunder, the assembly process took 20 minutes. I did need to enlist the help of my teenage son to hold the back just right while I fastened it to the seat. Thanks to the ribbed design, the finished product was evocative of that one sculpture from Beetlejuice. There are five ways to customize the chair to your body:
- The arms adjust from about 7" to 11" above the seat
- The seat height adjusts from 15.7" to 19.7" above floor level
- The seat depth adjusts from 17.3" to 19.7"
- The seat back tilts
- There is adjustable lumbar support that you can adjust based on the curvature of your spine
How the Uplift Desk Chair performed
Before I get into it, I should describe the perspective I am approaching this from. I'm a portly fella: 6 feet tall and 240 pounds heavy. The weight capacity of the Vert chair is 250 pounds. So, I am kind of pushing the limits, but I still found it comfortable. I was able to sit for hours on end without getting antsy and didn't experience arm or shoulder soreness as I have with other chairs. As a writer with perhaps a little too much on my plate, I spent several eight-hour-plus days glued to the seat as I scrambled to hit deadlines.
The chair has a mesh back, which was a godsend during the heatwaves in my under-air-conditioned home. The mesh allowed for airflow that kept me cool as the mercury rose. The plush seat isn't as breathable, but I didn't notice it holding onto excessive heat. The black seat was a magnet for my two cats, who tended to leave a good portion of their fur on it.
The movement of a chair is important as you access files from nearby cabinets, answer the phone, or perform other common office tasks. Fortunately, the swivel of the Vert chair is incredibly smooth. To test this, I pushed my hand off my desk to see how many full revolutions I could make on a single push. The average was seven. Unless you work on the Mad Tea Party ride at Disney World, you probably don't need to spin that much. However, the test does illustrate how mobile the Vert chair is, and it keeps my preschooler entertained when he needs daddy to take a break.
The Uplift Vert chair also rolls smoothly on hardwood. I tested this by pushing off of a wall and seeing how far I rolled. I made it about 15 feet, which should be enough for you to effortlessly glide over to a file cabinet to pull important paperwork.
Some concerns about the chair
For the most part, the chair is great. I don't think I've ever worked in a more comfortable chair. But, I have a few minor quibbles. I wish there was a way to tilt the seat back a little. I felt like I was tilted forward slightly.
The chair comes with a three-year warranty. This is better than most of the cheaper options on the market, but it doesn't compare to what you might get from high-end office product manufacturers, such as Steelcase, Herman Miller, or Haworth. These companies offer warranties of 12 years or more, but their chairs cost twice as much.
I tried the Vert chair on low pile carpeting, and it did not move well. The wheels are approximately 2.6" in diameter, but that was not enough to provide effortless movement on carpet. Therefore, if you decide on this chair for your carpeted office, consider a good carpet chair mat.
Bottom line
Overall, the Uplift Vert Ergonomic Office Chair is the best chair I've ever used in my home office. The five adjustable settings made it customizable to my body, and though I'm pushing the weight capacity, I have never felt like the materials couldn't hold my girth.
Though at $400 the chair is more than I like to invest in a chair, I've come to understand the value of spending a little bit more on an item that will provide everyday comfort for years to come.