Like nearly every other white-collar worker I know, I spend eight hours a day seated in a chair and staring at a computer. When one position comprises half of your waking life, it better be comfortable. Like many of my computer-staring friends, I also work from home, which means my eight-hour chair will necessarily feature prominently in the decor of my apartment. Here’s the dilemma I found myself facing: Since ergonomic chairs tend to be both expensive and hideous, trying to create an ergonomically healthy work environment would wreak havoc on both my budget and the feng shui of my living room. (I live in New York, so my office is the living room and the dining room and also the kitchen.) If I didn’t disfigure my apartment, I would disfigure my back. Or so I thought, until I started tooling around on the internet and discovered the Easy Posture Lumbar Back Support Mesh. The device borrows its strategy from the wildly popular (but unpleasantly stern-looking) Herman Miller Aeron chair, the office status symbol that says, “Someone cares enough to spend a grand on my spine.”
Much like the Aeron, the Easy Posture sports a bouncy nylon mesh stretched over a light wire frame, and, as opposed to a shapeless pillow, it comfortably curves into the lower back near the base of the spine. It’s a gentle nudge to sit up straight and can be strapped onto the chair of your choice — and, most critically, removed whenever you want. Like, say, when you’re entertaining guests whom you wish not to know you as the sort of person who requires lumbar support. (Of course, I’ve now blown my cover. I’m martyring my cool for you, reader.) Before Easy Posture, I spent the seated portion of my day hunched in a ball. At the end of those days, I felt as though I was two inches shorter than when I started. But like a classic before-and-after, now I’m standing taller and feeling great — so great that, when my work day ends, I can stay right here and watch Netflix for hours.Standard Capisco Seat Height The HÄG Capisco comes standard with a 265mm lift, with seat heights ranging from about 23 to 33".
Because of the saddle-like shape of the seat, most people will find they prefer a higher seat height with the Capisco than they might with a flat-seat chair—and you won't get the full Capisco benefits if you don't go a little higher and open up those hip angles. The standard range is optimal for most people working at adjustable or standing height desks. However, if you have a lower fixed-height desk, or if you are under 5'4" you may prefer a lower lift. Don't hesitate to call if you need help deciding what will work best for you. Standard 265mm Lift - Seat heights 23 - 33" 200mm Lift - Seat heights 19 - 26" 150mm Lift - Seat heights 16 - 21.5" Choosing Your Chair Height The seat height for the Capisco is measured from the floor to the top of the seat cushion. This will vary depending on the lift height. The standard 265mm lift provides a range of about 23" to 33". The 200mm lift adjusts from approximately 19" - 26", and the shorter 150mm lift provides a height adjustment from about 16" - 21.5".
We do not recommend the 150mm lift for most users and applications. So, we're about to throw some numbers at you, and they're going to be confusing, so we'll do our best to explain up front: there are two major methods by which fabric durability is rated. They are called Wyzenbeek, and Martindale, and they both involve rubbing the fabric against itself in a fancy fabric-rubbing machine, buuut they use slightly different rub patterns, and so they result in different numbers that look a lot alike, but the literature all says you can't convert between them. The Wyzenbeek is standard in the U.S. but Martindale is the international standard, so it just depends on what a manufacturer decides to go with. To hopefully clear thing up a little, here's a breakdown of the numbers, and what they mean: Heavy Use/General Commercial Use Heavy Duty Commercial Use Our Capisco Quick-ship program includes 4 different upholstery types, in a total of 19 different colors. Basic Description: a completely recycled, highly durable, rich-hued polyester upholstery.
Composition: 100% Post-Consumer Polyester Durability: Wyzenbeek Durability Rating - 130,000 double rubs. What are we talking about? A Wyzenbeek number of just 30,000 is considered sufficient for "heavy duty commercial use." With a rating of 130,000, you could basicallly rub your jeans back and forth on Chicago 130,000 times (or ten times a day for about 35 years), before it quits. Care and cleaning: water-based cleaning agent or solvent: Depending on the stain, you can use a dry-cleaning solvent, the foam of a mild detergent, or upholstery shampoo. Basic Description: a beautiful, naturally flame- and water-resistant natural fiber, produced in Norway from the wool of all-Norwegian sheep. Composition: 100% Virgin Norwegian Wool Durability: Martindale Abraision Rating ≥ 56,000 Cycles. On the Martindale scale, a 40,000 rating qualifies for "heavy duty commercial use." So basically this wool is even stronger than you probably need it to be for your office. I mean, we don't know what you do, but probably.
Care and cleaning: occassional (weekly-ish) gentle vaccuuming. If something goes really wrong, try a weak solution of gentle, wool-friendly detergent. Basic Description: GREENGAURD certified, pvc-free faux leather. Composition: 100% Polyurethane, with Polyester Backing. Durability: Wyzenbeek Durability Rating - 240,000 double rubs. That's 8 times the 30,000 required for a heavy duty commercial use rating. Care and cleaning: water-based foam or cleaner; See elaborated care and cleaning instructions. Basic Description: not actually made from doves, this soft cow hide displays natural leather grain. Composition: Predominantly cattle hides of central european origin. Durability: leather is not rated, but tends to be pretty tough if treated right. Care and cleaning: Paloma Leather will respond well to standard leather care and treatment. We'll work up a document with some basic guidelines in the next couple of weeks.You do not have the Flash or Quicktime plugin and your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Office chair buying guide We offer a wide range of home office chairs, from simple stools for web surfing, to complex ergonomic seats for long hours at your desk. With so much choice, our guide makes buying the perfect chair easy – all you have to do is assess your needs and working style. Watch the video above for more information on chair ergonomics. If you're considering installing a proper home office, we offer a fitted office service in our shops - find out more. Ergonomics is the application of scientific information to the design of objects, systems and environment, making them more efficient and comfortable to use. Ergonomically correct and comfortable seating should provide stable body support in a varietyof postures. In addition, the design of the workplace and furniture should encourage a certain amount of movement and changing of posture. The main requirements for good seating are that: circulation in the thighs is not restricted, the posture requires little muscular effort to maintain,
the loading (stress) on the spine is minimised and maintains the natural S-shape of the spine without the need for muscular tension. A good work chair should be: fit for the intended purpose, enabling you to move freely and carry out tasks comfortably and efficiently able to accommodate everyone who intends to use it, regardless of size or shape supportive of your body in a number of comfortable postures suited to your workstation, especially the height of the table or desk and the layout of the equipment on it. How long will you be using the chair for? occasionally - less than 2 hours a day working part-time between 2 to 4 hours a day more than 4 hours a day - more or less full time The longer you’re using the chair, the more adjustable features you’ll need. All the adjustments should be within easy reach and you should be able to operate them, while seated, with minimal effort. Lumbar support is essential if you’re going to use the chair for long periods
Will anyone else be using your chair? If s/he is quite different to you in height, weight and build, then you’ll need a chair which easily adjusts for each of you, and has height-adjustable lumbar support. This is the most important feature. Your feet should rest flat on the floor without compressing the back of your thighs, otherwise you’ll restrict blood supply to your lower legs and feet – resulting in tired and possibly numb legs. When you’re working at a table which can’t be adjusted in height, adjust your chair according to the height of your table, lowering the chair until your elbows are just above the table top. If your feet still don’t rest flat on the floor, get a footrest. If the seat depth isn’t adjustable, it should at least allow you to sit right at the back of the chair without pressing the backs of your knees. You need to sit right at the back of the chair to use the backrest correctly and support your lumbar. It’s essential that the chair has a backrest with an appropriate size and shape, to support the lower and middle back properly without restricting arm or shoulder movements.
The backrest should help you to maintain the natural S-shape of your spine when you’re sitting. Tilting the backrest allows you to adopt different postures, e.g. upright, or semi-reclined. When you sit on a work chair, the angle between your thighs and back should be around 95 to 105 degrees so that your abdomen and chest are open and not compressed. Opening up more of the angle between your body and thighs lets you breathe better, sending more oxygen to your muscles. The human body isn’t designed for static postures, especially sitting. The longer you work, the more important the chair movement becomes, such as the ability to recline. It’s better to make small movements in the chair rather than continually fidgeting. Such chair movements depend on your weight, so office chairs should ideally have auto weight adjustment. If not, you should be able to adjust the tension of the backrest, so that you’re in total balance whether you’re upright or leaning back, and able to maintain good posture without having to exert excessive force.
If you’re going to spend some time in the chair, you need to support the weight of your arms. Fixed height armrests are fine for occasional use, but for extended use, they should adjust, at least in height. Height adjustable arms can be lowered to go neatly under the desk when the chair’s not in use. The best ergonomic chairs will allow you to change the width between armrests to suit your body width, so that they are close to you where you need them. If the armrests prevent you getting close to the table or desk, you’ll end up sitting at the front edge of seat and not be able to use the backrest correctly, losing lumbar support. This is also a very important feature. When you’re working, you may need to reach other parts of the table or desk. If the chair doesn’t swivel, you may have to frequently twist your back to reach – not good for your back. The seat, armrest and backrest should be padded firmly enough to support you, but should feel soft enough for you not to feel pressure points, or the hardness of the chair frame, on the base of the two prongs of your pelvis.