The Best Office Chairs According to the CNET Staff Who Use Them – CNET [CNET]

February 21, 2022 James Bricknell technology

The pandemic has made many of us shift our work location into our homes, and we often sit at one place for hours. Working from home came with a set of challenges, including the need for new furniture — like an office chair.

Most of us had a desk and some sort of chair at home, but they weren’t always good enough for prolonged, everyday use. A lot of the staff here at CNET needed to buy new home office equipment to be comfortable working, and we ended up with no shortage of opinions about that equipment. I asked our writers to tell me about the chairs they bought in the pandemic and gave them a simple scale of comfort to work with: Super comfy; Good enough; Not very comfy. I filtered out ones that were rated Not very comfy, leaving the ones that are comfortable enough to sit on all day.

While these office chairs haven’t been tested in the normal CNET fashion — one editor testing a specific set of comfort criteria — these chairs have been selected after months of using them for at least 8 hours a day, five days a week. This article is about how we feel about our chairs and whether we think you should buy one, too.

HON Ignition 2.0

Fully adjustable

$343 at Amazon

Herman Miller Mirra 2

Premium comfort

$725 at Amazon

NYPOT Premium Ergonomic Kneeling Chair

Great for posture

$170 at Amazon

Everly Quinn task chair

Fashionable features

$400 at Wayfair

Markus Office Chair

Made to last

$510 at Amazon

$200 at Ikea

HAG Capisco Adjustable Standing Desk Chair

For standing desks

$985 at Amazon

Easy SMX

Comfort fit

$146 at Amazon

Senior Editor Megan Wollerton, our resident office chair expert, has a lot of experience and has put together this helpful FAQ on how to choose, care for and sit on your new office chair.

FAQs

How do I clean my office chair?

How you clean your office chair will vary somewhat depending on the materials. The chair’s user manual should detail cleaning and general maintenance tips. If you tossed out the paper version of the manual, check online. Many retailers provide digital versions or even downloadable PDFs of their product manuals.

That said, most chairs should be fine with a damp cloth and mild soap or detergent. Test out a small area first and stay away from strong chemical cleaners.

How do I make an office chair more comfortable?

Many office chairs are adjustable. You can change the chair height and move the arms, and some office chairs even have adjustable lumbar support. So before tossing out your current chair, make sure you’re sitting in an optimal posture for your comfort by trying out different ergonomic positions.

Gary Allread, the program director for the ergonomics division at Ohio State University’s Spine Research Institute had two main suggestions:

You want your back to touch the back of the chair.
You want your feet to touch the floor (or you should use a box or footrest to prop up your feet).

They also suggested rolling up a towel to use for lower back support if your chair doesn’t have lumbar support.

How do I fix a squeaky office chair?

If you’re dealing with a squeaky office chair, you first need to identify the source. Double-check that all of the screws are tight and that the chair is clean and oiled. You might also need to replace a spring. Certain retailers sell replacement parts, if a loose or old spring ends up being the culprit.