When shopping for the best ergonomic office chair, getting a chair that fits the user is of paramount importance. Not every chair labeled "ergonomic" has all the adjustment features necessary to truly be ergonomic. This guide will help you make a better selection.Use our chair selector tool and one of our fit experts will respond with personalized recommendations. We love to help people find exactly what works for their needs, and we typically respond within 1 business day. The mechanism controls how the seat and back move. It includes controls that are typically levers under the seat that the user can push, pull, or twist to adjust the chair. Some models may offer more than one choice of mechanism for the same chair. These two mechanisms are the most popular: Multifunction Mechanism This mechanism is preferred due to the wide range of adjustability it offers. The back and seat angles adjust independently of each other as well as independent of the tilt. This allows you to lock the chair into an infinite number of positions.
This type of mechanism will rock/tilt back from the center of the seat. The Neutral Posture NPS800 and the Bodybilt J3507 are two examples of chairs that offer this type of mechanism. Synchro-Tilt Mechanism - The seat and back are linked and tilt simultaneously as you lean back (typically the seat back tilts back two degrees for every one degree of seat pan tilt). Since there is less adjustability with this mechanism it is not as ergonomic as the multifunction mechanism. A chair with a synchro-tilt mechanism should have a waterfall front or flexible front seat edge or it may press into the back of the thighs when reclining. This type of mechanism also rocks/tilts from the center of the seat. The Raynor Ergohuman and the Allseating Cpod Chair are two examples of chairs that offer this type of mechanism. These are less common but may be appropriate for many applications: Task This is the most basic mechanism and adjustments may be limited to just seat height, seat height plus seat depth, or seat height, seat depth and back angle.
Task mechanisms do not offer tilt. As this discourages movement, a task mechanism is best suited for lighter duty such as a home office or conference room. Two examples of this type of chair would be the Ergocentric Saffron Apt and the Raynor Vigor RG33 Task Chair. The backrest should slide up and down to allow the lumbar curve of the chair's back rest to fit into your lower back (lorthotic) curve. A height adjustable lumbar support is a common substitution. This will also help fit the chair to your body type. Reclining in your chair supports the weight of your upper body and thus relieves some weight from you lower back. Many chairs have a locking back angle adjustment that will let you find your most comfortable reclined or upright position and then lock that position. Both lumbar disc pressure and back muscle activity are lowest with a supported recline angle of 110° - 130°. Reclined postures often are preferred (Grandjean, 1988). This adjustment knob allows you to adjust the amount of force required to recline to your body weight.
The Humanscale Freedom Chair and Liberty Chair are counterbalanced to the weight of the user and do not require a tension adjustment. The best lumbar support offers both vertical and depth adjustment. This is especially important if the user has lower back issues, or if multiple people will use the chair. The most basic lumbar supports are adjusted vertically as you raise and lower the chair back. A fixed depth lumbar is acceptable if it fits you well and does adjust vertically. A chair without either an adjustable back height or an independently height adjustable lumbar support may not fit many people. The chair base should have a minimum five spoke base. Four spoke bases tend to tip over when reclining back in your chair. Quality casters should glide freely over various floor surfaces. A headrest provides support for your head and can reduce the weight your neck must support. If you have neck issues, strongly consider buying a chair with a headrest.Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale.
Click here for more. You probably spend more time than you’d like to at a desk, and you should spend your money where you spend time. Today we’re recommending the best upgrades for your office, with the help of Lifehacker’s huge catalog of tips and your recommendations. For general inspiration and great ideas, check out Lifehacker’s Featured Workspace and How I Work series.First you need to decide whether you want a standard desk, a standing desk, or something that can transform into both. Lifehacker has a great guide to choosing the perfect desk for yourself, while gamers will want to check out our Best Gaming Desk Co-op. There’s no one-size fits all for standard desks. Your space, the way you work, whether you’re using a laptop or desktop, aesthetic preferences, and many other factors will help determine your choice. For those looking to stand, the field is easier to narrow. Lifehacker just put together a great guide to choosing your standing desk, and Lifehacker readers have also voted on their favorite.
If you go the standing route you’re going to want an anti-fatigue mat, and Lifehacker readers recommendations are right here. But there are more options. Perhaps you’d like to walk on a treadmill while you work, or cycle. I grabbed the FitDesk on a whim when we ran a deal, and its surprisingly comfortable, while forcing good posture and being easy to work on. If you don’t have the space or the discipline for all that, another great option is an under-desk Elliptical, which doubles as an ergonomic footrest. Your feet should at least be flat on the floor, but a footrest is even better. The sky’s the limit when it comes to office chair pricing. Lifehacker readers voted the famous Herman Miller Aeron as best office chair, and if you can afford one, it’s worth it. Both Lifehacker and Kotaku readers gave high praise to the Ikea Markus, a much more affordable option. I picked up the Lifehacker-recommended ~$300 Tempur-Pedic T9000 for my home office, and have nothing but good things to say.
Check out the rest of the nominations from Lifehacker and Kotaku, and don’t forget about those ergonomics. You stare at your monitor a lot, so you should buy the best one you can afford and make the most of it. Lifehacker’s best monitor Hive-Five is dated at this point, so we’ll be running a Kinja Co-Op on the subject in the near future. Samsung’s aggressively-priced 4K Monitor has been a huge hit in our deals segments, while normal humans should check out the Monoprice 27" IPS and the rest of the budget nominees from our readers. We have more up to date reader-voted options for gamers, and everyone can boost their productivity even more with multiple monitors. Whatever screen you choose, elevate the top of it to around eye level, either with its built-in stand or a monitor riser.Speaking of your eyes, those who suffer from eye strain (or sleep deprivation like me) should pick up a pair of Gunnar Optiks or the cheaper Gamma Ray alternative. The same goes for your laptop screen, whether it’s sitting next to a monitor or not.
Check out our readers’ picks for the best laptop stand, or just grab the winning mStand by Rain Design. We’re pretty obsessed with mechanical keyboards around here, but let’s cover the options most people will go for first. The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Keyboard delivers extreme comfort, bluetooth, and a quality typing experience. For those wanting to skip the ergonomic form factor, Lifehacker readers love Apple’s design. Logitech also makes a competitive offering to Apple’s that adds backlighting and a rechargeable battery. Moving on to mechanicals, the venerable Das Keyboard took the Lifehacker reader vote for best in the category, and is on the desks of two out of three Commerce Team members. We prefer our clicky blue switches, but it turns out our readers lean slightly toward the quieter Cherry MX browns. Check out Lifehacker’s excellent guide to determine whether a mechanical keyboard is for you, and if you aren’t sure which switch to get, this mechanical keyboard switch sampler can help.
Gamers should check out our Best Gaming Keyboard Co-Op. There’s more to typing ergonomics than the height of your chair or the form factor of your keyboard. If your desk doesn’t have a keyboard tray, adding one is pretty simple.There are a ton of mice to choose from, but Lifehacker has you covered with Sunday Showdown. You don’t need a mouse pad anymore, but they do still make a difference, have a look at our best gaming mousepad Co-Op, or grab my favorite, the Feenix Dimora. Similarly, your wireless mouse or braided cable have likely ameliorated issues with your mouse cable getting in your way, but if you’re still having trouble, you may want to consider a mouse bungee. Those with recurring mouse-caused wrist pain should check out vertical/ergonomic mice. Depending on what you’re doing at your computer, the bad speakers built in to your laptop or monitor might very well be enough. For those looking for better sound and/or more volume, take in our Best Desktop Computer Speakers Hive Five, where the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 came out on top.
When we ran the same vote two years later, the Klipsch won again. Lifehacker has great guides on how to choose the right pair of headphones, and picks for the best headphones under $20. Additionally, we’ve run our best headphone vote twice now (2012/2014), with the Commerce Team’s favorites, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s taking second and first place respectively. If the pricing on those seems ridiculous, pick up the Monoprice Hi-Fi Headphones, which offer an incredible bang for the buck. To some degree, which ISP you have will dictate which modem you buy, but if your ISP charges a modem rental fee, you should buy your own immediately and stop giving them any more money than you have to. The Motorola SB6141 is the right option for most people. The ASUS RT-AC66U was the Lifehacker reader choice for best router, praised for its performance, ease of setup, and willingness to accept DD-WRT and Tomato. Apple’s Airport Extreme took second place, and while it lags behind the fastest routers out there in terms of sheer speed, it wins on ease of use and aesthetics.
The Time Capsule line’s built-in external hard drives are also pretty damn convenient.The cable management tag on Lifehacker is basically endless, so dig in there, and into this guide to help get your unique mess under control. Quirky’s Cordies are ubiquitous at our home and work offices. If you need more USB ports, we’ve got a vote for that too, where Anker’s offerings won by a mile (7-port/10-port/Unibody). You’re also going to need somewhere to plug all those devices in, and ideally protect them in the process. Pick up the Hive Five-winning Belkin 12-Outlet to handle pretty much anything, or the ridiculously popular Belkin SurgePlus for minimalists setups or travel. Western Digital’s portable My Passport series dominated the Hive Five vote for best external hard drive, and is available in sizes from 320GB to 2TB. If you want or need something faster that’s still portable, we like the HGST 1TB Touro. It runs at 7200rpm speeds, and we also recommended it as a storage upgrade for your Xbox One.
If you need a printer around, Lifehacker readers have some great nominations, with the Brother Compact Networked Laser leading the pack. You’re likely using at least something in your office that requires batteries. Save some money by investing in a set of Eneloop rechargeables, which you voted best in the category, and an accompanying La Crosse charger, which you also gave the win to. A quality comparison of air purifiers was one of the biggest holes in the Internet product recommendation sphere until The Sweethome finally took on the task. They chose the Coway Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA, a fairly compact and refreshingly affordable model, as their pick for most people. I’ve been using it since October with nothing but good things to say. If you need to warm up, check out our Best Space Heater Co-Op, where the DeLonghi Oil-Filled Radiator took the win. For those dealing with dry air, check out our Best Humidifier Co-Op for some great recommendations.