Question: What do most of us use every day, almost all day, are almost always touching us, affects our health, yet, we rarely ever think about?
Answer: Our chairs!
For anybody that works an office job, one of the most overlooked aspects of the daily routine is our chair. Sitting in a comfortable, ergonomic chair can have a massive impact on our mental and physical well-being. Best Buy® offers a wide variety of office chairs through retail stores and BestBuy.com.
So, how do you choose the best chair? There are a number of factors which go into finding the right one:
The Wheels- This depends on how much moving around you normally do at work. Obviously, if you’re mostly staying static, the chair’s mobility is not going to be a big issue. But if you’re like me and like to roll from desk to desk, conversing and sharing with co-workers, the wheels are going to be a factor. Do they roll smoothly? Do they change direction quickly and efficiently or do they herk and jerk?
The Back- Mesh or Leather? Until 1994, most chairs came with a back made entirely of leather. Then came the Aeron chair by Herman Miller, which revolutionized the entire industry. The Aeron’s back and seat used a new material named Pellicle, a flexible mesh which was lighter, sleeker and – according to many- much more comfortable. Now, a look at BestBuy.com shows the massive influence of the Aeron, as a number of chairs offered are made with a mesh-like fabric. Mesh can be ideal for a hotter workplace. A mesh back helps increase airflow and helps avoid a sweaty back. For those that want a little more padding on both the back and the bottom, leather may be the way to go. Keep in mind, there are also chairs available that offer mesh backs and leather seats, for the best of both worlds.
Levers and Gears: Mechanically inclined sitters may not mind a whole mess of gears and gadgets on their chair, but some may find them cumbersome and complicated. Some chairs respond to a user’s weight and movement, reducing the need for many levers. Make sure that the basics- raising and lowering the chair and armrests, reclining and inclining - are simple enough to complete. If these are difficult to accomplish, you may want to try a different chair.
Lumbar Support- The lumbar portion of the spine refers to the lowest portion of our backbone. It bears the most body weight and also provides the most flexibility, a combination that makes it susceptible to injury and wear and tear over time. To keep your lumbar region in tip-top shape, you should use a chair that keeps constant pressure on your lumbar region and allows for an inclination of 120 degrees, meaning the angle between the seat and the backrest is 120 degrees. Another key to reducing lumbar disc pressure is the use of armrests, which help by putting the force of your body not entirely on the seat and back rest. The ergonomically correct position for armrests is at a 90 degree angle to your keyboard.
Ease of Assembly- This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but keep in mind, Geek Squad® does offer an in-home Furniture Assembly Service.
For more information, make sure to read the Community Forums and product reviews on BestBuy.com to hear what others are saying about office chairs and other office furniture.
